Hank Hill Meets His Match
by Skye1963
Summary: Crossover with King of the Hill-When John temporarily moves his sons to the small Texas town of Arlen, he didn't expect Sam and Dean to start training a bunch of kids to become Hunters or a connection with his beloved Mary through one of his new neighbors. Hank Hill had it worse though. He didn't expect the Winchester boys to be well...themselves. rated for language
1. Chapter 1

_Help! This story was supposed to have been one chapter-now look how it's grown! It took on a life of its own-needs to be exorcised! (giggle!) I had fun writing it, I hope you have fun reading it._

_Happy belated Birthday, Ginnylove 9990, my Little Sister!_

_AU-Sam is thirteen, Dean is seventeen. Have fun!_

_As usual-I don't own any of the characters used, neither King of The Hill or Supernatural. They belong to Fox and Eric Kripke respectively._

Hank Hill Meets His Match

Chapter One

The four high school buddies stood in the alley drinking their beers when a truck followed by a '67 Chevy Impala pulled up to the empty house next to Khan's. Mr. McGregor had been dead for a year and he had left his house to a group of people he called Hunters. In his will, he stipulated that the utilities be left on and the house always ready for anyone who needed a place to stay. Reverend Stroop made sure that all the will's stipulations were met by coming out at least twice a month to clean and stock the kitchen and bathrooms. She would also show up whenever the house was occupied to talk to the rough-looking men who sometimes stayed there.

As Hank, Boomhauer, Bill and Dale watched, a middle-aged man got out of the truck and two boys left the Impala. The one boy was in his late teens and, to Hank's eye, looked like football material while the smaller boy was about Bobby's age and very slight, a Mathlete probably. Hank's nose wrinkled at that. His sensibilities were further offended when he noticed the man had a few days growth on his face and the three of them were dressed in jeans and flannel shirts. Hank watched as the boys went to the trunk of the Impala and pulled out four duffles while the man pulled a couple from the truck then the three of them went into the house.

"Huh," was all he said.

"He's from the Government!" Dale exclaimed.

"If he's from the Government, why the boys?" Hank asked pragmatically.

"Midgets…they're midgets hired by the Government to throw us off!" Dale's voice went up an octave.

"I don't know, Dale. That little one sure looks young to me," Bill drawled.

"The Government wants you to believe that so they gave him plastic surgery," Dale declared.

Boomhauer looked at the Impala with lust in his eyes and mumbled, "Great (mumble) car, man. (Mumble)'67 (mumble) beautiful."

"Yeah, it is a beaut," Hank agreed. He could understand Boomhauer after many years of practice. "We should get a 'Welcome to the Neighborhood' basket together. Show them how friendly we are in Arlen."

Boomhauer was happy about getting to check out the car and said, "(Mumble) bring the oil, man"

"I'll spray their lawn for free," Dale offered. "It'll get me the chance to see what they know," he added.

Hank just rolled his eyes, "I'll have Peggy bake up some Apple Brown Peggy. Maybe talk to Min and Khan about getting together and having a barbeque for our new neighbors. Luanne and Lucky may want to babysit for the youngest boy. All we can do is offer, I tell you what."

The quartet drank some more beer while Bill offered to give the new neighbors free haircuts, especially the youngest since didn't you see how long his hair was? Hank, who usually shot Bill's ideas down, liked that one but said that he would give the father the name of his barber instead. They were finishing up their beers when John Redcorn, or JR to his very special friends, drove up to the new neighbors' house and got out of his jeep. Hank, who had a suspicion that he was there to see Nancy, was very surprised to see John walk up to the house and knock on the door. The father of the family opened the door and gave John a silver flask. Hank watched the father watch John drink out of the flask then, when he was finished drinking, the father clasped John's offered hand and led the Native American into the house. "Huh," was all he said.

John Redcorn looked out of the window at the four men drinking in the alley. Grinning, he turned back to his uncle's old Marine buddy, John Winchester. "Johnny, how are you three doing?" JR asked politely.

Winchester responded with equal politeness, "Been good. Boys were driving me crazy with their prank war a while ago but, since nothing happened as bad as the Nair incident, I figured we all got off lucky. It was funny to see Dean wake up with makeup on. Never did figure out how Sammy put that on his brother without waking him up!"

JR laughed. He remembered some of the things the older Winchester boy came up with and decided that he would have to talk to Sam about some pranks to pull on his brother. He figured that it was just good training, anyway. "Not that I'm not glad to see you but what brings the Winchesters out my way?" he asked easily.

John grinned at the man's curiosity. It was nice to meet someone in a town who not only knew them but knew what they did. "There were a few things I needed to check out. Possible haunting in McManarbury, demon sign in Austin, Trickster sighting at Texas A&M. You know, the usual. I thought I could have Sammy stay put for a while, maybe get some schooling done in one school for a while. I really hate pulling him out of his classes but, with our job, what can you do?"

JR knew it was a rhetorical question so he didn't answer. Instead, he offered, "When you are out of town, I can stop by and check on the boys for you. You may want to get one of your buddies to stay with them since you have some very nosy neighbors."

"Yeah, talked to Bobby already and he's on his way down. Caleb is in the area too so that shouldn't be a problem. Do you know of any jobs for Dean? He's a great mechanic in his own right and he's going to have to be the bread winner for a while," John asked.

"The Jiffy Lube probably needs someone but there is a small garage a couple of miles from Sam's school that is run by a friend of mine. I can put in a good word for Dean if you want," JR said.

"Thanks, man. That'll take a load off our minds. Any places where we can get in shooting practice?" John asked.

JR grimaced and said, "The Arlen Gun Club is your best bet unless you want to come out to my place. Nine Rivers has a range but you have to be a member and I think LaGrunta Inn may have a range but I couldn't tell you for certain. Dale Gribble, unfortunately, is the president of the Arlen Gun Club and he charges two dollars per day, from what Hank told me. He may try to get more out of you so if he tries, tell him I told you about the fee."

John nodded his thanks. He wanted as much information as possible since it would help keep his children alive and safe. JR knew what John was feeling, hells most of the Community knew of John's obsession with keeping his sons safe so he started giving a report on the neighbors, "Dale Gribble is a paranoid person whose wife I had a fourteen year relationship with. He's not the most observant person when it comes to Nancy but he does have a way of noticing things then putting his own special twist on it. I bet he believes that you are some kind of Government spy or an alien, both are his favorite bad guys. He has an alias by the name of Rusty Shackleford which is the actual name of another person who had been in elementary school with Dale before the guy moved. His wife, Nancy, works for channel 84 as an anchorwoman. She used to be the weathergirl but was upgraded to another spot. Nancy had my son, Joseph, but since Dale never figured it out, he now raises him. Joseph is a terrific kid but a bit confused. He's going through puberty and his hormones have hit him hard, always using Dale as a tackle dummy. Not a bully, though and has been known to be a bit skittish. For all his muscle and growth, he's still basically just a kid.

"Bill Dautrieve is an Army sergeant. He works as a barber on base and is a manic depressive ever since his wife, Lenore, left him years ago. The saying misery loves company was made especially for Bill since he likes to make everyone else miserable just to feel better. No kids and, from what I understand, except for a cousin he is the last of his family line.

"Boomhauer is a car enthusiast who loves women. He chases then beds them before going onto his next conquest. Smart man but it can be very hard to understand him. He has a big heart when it comes to his friends and family.

"Hank Hill, block captain and assistant manager of Strickland Propane is married to Peggy Hill nee Platter. He likes to push his opinions onto others as well as propane and propane accessories. He has OCD tendencies and a way of looking at things that, if you don't agree with them or if you are different, he is not a nice person to be around. His wife Peggy thinks she is a genius though she has never taken an IQ test in her life. Not a legitimate one at least. She's a substitute teacher for the school system, specializing in Spanish which is laughable since she really can't speak the language. Their son, Bobby, is a terrific kid who just wants to be loved for who he is not what his father and mother want him to be. Their niece Luanne is married to a man named Lucky and has one daughter she named Grace. She's religious so you may want to pretend you're not here when she comes calling and has hand puppets with her.

"Khan Supanusenpon is Laotian and bipolar. He believes that his daughter Connie is better than anyone else. He and his wife, Min, have been trying to brown-nose their way into Nine Rivers Country Club for a while and it really grates on him that the only reason they now have a junior membership is that Min is on the skeet shooting team. Connie is smart and musical but I always had the feeling that she just wants to be something more than what her parents want her to be. Most kids are like that, I guess.

"Hank's father is something else, Colonel Cotton Hill. He went to Japan to apologize to the emperor and while there, he found he had an illegitimate son from a romance in WWII. He's also married to a woman named DeeDee who used to go to school with Hank and has another child named GH or Good Hank. He's an irritant to Hank but a hero to Dale, Bill and Boomhauer. Smart and observant, he spent time in Europe before being transferred to the Pacific theater where he lost parts of his lower legs. Now he has a chip on his shoulder the size of a red wood. Always talking about the fifty men he killed.

"The last person, besides me and Reverend Stroop, which you may meet, is Buck Strickland. Man's had many affairs on his wife and at least on illegitimate son that I know of. Guy likes his ladies and was almost divorced because of his affair with his office assistant. He owns all of Strickland propane and Sugarfoots which is a local restaurant," JR finished his report and saw that John was amused by all the things he had to say about the neighbors. "If you are going to enroll your son into school, you'll need to see Principal Moss on Monday. I checked for you since you said that Sam was a certified genius and there are AP classes for him to take. Connie is in them so he'll be in her classes."

"Thanks JR," John's deep voice rumbled. "I really appreciate all your troubles and efforts to help make this a bit easier on the boys and me. We'll be very careful with the neighbors."

"One more thing, you may want to put the Impala in the garage and lock it since it's not unknown for your neighbors, and I mean Bill, Dale and Boomhauer, to do something dumb like take it out for a drive one day. I heard that Dean has the same kind of obsession that you had with the car," JR joked.

John smirked then said, "He's worse."

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

Dean walked out of Tom Landry Middle School where he had been registering his baby brother for classes. For Sam's sake, he was glad that the small, A-rated school had AP classes and soccer if and when Sam wanted to join but Dean had a feeling that this time, his brother would have no interest in soccer. The team was coached by a man who just didn't have the drive to help the kids win a game. The football team was something that Dean was sure his brother wouldn't join since he was very small for his age. Then he went to register at the high school and was immediately asked to join their football team. He didn't since he knew he could accidently hurt someone, being trained in many of the arts of survival, thanks to his dad. Of course, the coach and principal were a bit put out but Dean really didn't care. Honestly, he didn't like football or any sports, didn't see the point in chasing a ball around to score goals when there were more important things to do. Besides, being on a team like that was a commitment that he didn't want to make since he already had a few already that would clash. Sammy, the Impala, family (their dad was at the top of that sub-list), Sammy, the hunt and Sammy were his top priorities that he didn't want to take time away from.

From there, he went to see John Redcorn's friend at the garage. Tim White Eagle listened to Dean as he spoke about his skills under the hood then put him to test with a '71 Chevelle that needed a tune-up. Dean was quick and very thorough, getting the car done in a very short time. Tim was very impressed then tested Dean on his knowledge and diagnostic skills on a '75 Lincoln which had been dying every time the car was brought to a stop. Dean correctly diagnosed the problem and Tim offered him a part time job that paid under the table. The young man was to work half days during the week and a full day on Saturday. This left Dean time to pick his brother up from school and bring him back to the shop until he was done for the day.

His last stop was the Mega-lo Mart for food, clothing, and silver necklaces to be melted down for bullets. Dean was ecstatic when he found large bags of rock salt and a cheap coffee pot. He was also thrilled to find a couple of books for his baby brother along with school supplies for the two of them. When he was done, he went back to their home for the time being. Sam, who had been recovering from an injury he had received during a werewolf hunt, came out when Dean got home to help his brother carry in the bags but John, who had followed Sam out of the house, and Dean both told him to go and watch t.v. while they brought everything in. Neither man wanted Sam to hurt himself by pulling the stitches his father had meticulously put in. Sam didn't like the fact he was helpless but Dean just gave him a hug and told his brother that he could help put some of the items away.

It was while the older Winchesters were putting the groceries away that Hank, Peggy and Bobby rang their doorbell. Sam didn't want to disturb his brother and father so he answered the door. He wasn't afraid to let anyone in since, while Dean was out, he and his dad had put up the sigils, salt lines and devil's traps around the house.

Sam opened the door and sized up the trio standing there. Hank was in his forties, paunchy and out of shape, easy to take. Peggy was also in her forties, not so out of shape but still easy to take. Bobby was definitely out of shape, pop up target. Sam felt ashamed that he had judged the people in front of him and his cheeks turned pink as he said, "Hi, can I help you?"

Hank took the initiative, "Hello there little fellow (Sam stopped feeling guilty and started to feel a bit angry). Is your daddy at home?"

Sam didn't invite the trio in but just turned his head and yelled, "DAD! There's someone at the door for you!" He winced as the yell had pulled his stitches. John hurried out of the kitchen to see what Sam was yelling about with Dean following closely after.

Hank and Peggy were shocked at the lack of hospitality. It was the first time someone didn't automatically invite them in. John, seeing their shock, swiftly went to the door and, gently putting his hand on Sam's shoulder, guided the young boy into his brother's waiting arms. "Sorry about that. Sammy isn't used to visitors coming to our door without a phone call or some kind of warning. You'll have to forgive him," John said placatingly. "He's been very shy all his life."

Sam scowled while his brother shook with silent laughter. Sam, shy? Usually that wasn't how that either Winchester or their small circle of friends would ever describe Sam but John had had the distinct displeasure of talking to a couple of Sam's teachers who had described the boy as unusually quiet and not comfortable around others. One teacher had even said that she thought Sam was actually afraid of other people, especially women. When John thought about it, he knew she was probably right, especially when it came to adult females since Sam hadn't been around a woman full-time since Mary was killed. Before he turned five, Sam's whole world was mostly masculine and now John regretted it even though he had told himself that he was just protecting his precious baby. Dean, on the other hand, had gone the opposite way in keeping women at a very safe distance by bedding then leaving them with a smile on their faces. John was worried that neither of his beautiful boys would ever have a meaningful relationship with a girl or even another guy.

"That is okay," Peggy piped up. "You just need to get him out of the house and with others. That is how you get over shyness." John grimaced and tried not to punch her in the face. He never did like it when people told him how to raise his sons.

Hank stepped up and offered his hand, "Hello, I'm Hank Hill, block captain and assistant manager of Strickland Propane. We'd like to welcome you to the neighborhood and invite the three of you to a barbeque in your honor."

John took the proffered hand and said, "Thanks. I'm John Winchester. My older son is Dean and that shy one is Sammy. We'd be happy to accept your invitation." His back was turned on his boys so he didn't see their mouths drop in shock.

"Christo," Sam murmured under his breath. Dean watched his father closely for any flinches, telltale signs that John was possessed.

John rolled his eyes as he heard Sam's whisper then, turning back to the Hills, he said, "My brothers are going to be here later today…"

"That's okay, the more the merrier," Hank interrupted. He looked at Bobby who had nudged him and introduced, "This is Bobby, my son. He's thirteen and goes to Tom Landry Middle School. He can show your son, Sam, around if you want. He'll keep anyone away who may want to bully him."

John could literally feel the hostility roll off of Dean as he said, "Thanks. Dean usually keeps Sammy safe but when he's at school, it'd be nice for someone to be looking out for him." Now, John could _feel _Sam's eyes roll.

"Heh, heh, heh. Sure when they're not in class. How old is Sam anyway, nine, ten?" Hank asked.

This time it was Dean who answered, "He's thirteen, he's just small for his age but he's wiry and strong."

"Interesting, I am a substitute teacher for the school district. Maybe I will see you in class with Bobby," Peggy gushed. "I usually teach Spanish but I also teach other subjects as well. Sam, what is your favorite subject?"

Dean grinned as he heard Sam's answer. John just groaned, "Latin."

"Latin?" Peggy asked dubiously.

"Immo, placet mihi Latine. Me quoque dicunt Itali, Galli, Hispani et Germanicus aliis quoque linguis mortuos. (Yes, I like Latin. I can also speak Italian, French, Spanish and German as well as some other dead languages)," Sam said with perfect pronunciation.

"You need to work on your pronunciation, dear. It was very good, though," Peggy backpedaled to save face.

"One of my brothers, who is a Pastor, taught Sam and Dean both how to speak Latin, both liturgical and conversational," John offered. He knew that Sam was dead on but didn't want to offend their new neighbor so soon after moving in. He also knew that Sam was getting very angry if he resorted to that kind of stunt and John just hoped that Dean would be able to keep their youngest calm.

Dean put his arm around his baby and said, "Sammy also likes soccer, history, math, geography and mythology. Always gets As in his classes." He spoke like the proud parent he was.

John might have been Sam's father but Dean was his dad, having raised the little boy since he was six months old. John sometimes regretted the decision to let his four year old take over parental duties that he himself should have taken on after Mary's death but he had been too heartbroken at the time. Dean stepped up to the plate and became the baby's father, mother, brother and whole world. Now, John had to clear everything he wanted to do with Sam through Dean but he was happy that Sam was growing up in a two parent home, even if one of the parents was only four years older than he was and the other wasn't around very much.

For the first time in his life, Bobby Hill watched as the Winchesters stunned his parents silent. He took the advantage and, looking at Sam, "Do you like video games?"

Sam looked up at Dean who nodded then back to Bobby, "Yeah. Don't get much chance to play them."

"Well, I can go get some of my hand held games and bring them over for you to play if that's all right," the last part of the sentence was aimed at Dean. Bobby was quicker than his parents and had realized who to ask in the Winchester household when it came to Sam.

"Sure, maybe tomorrow since we are still unpacking," Dean responded uncompromisingly.

"Could I bring Connie and Joseph over?" Bobby asked. "They are my best friends. I've known Joseph all my life and Connie is actually my ex-girlfriend."

John smiled then and agreed _before_ talking to Dean about it, "Sure, that'd be fine." Now both of his sons muttered "Christo" beneath their breaths. John just turned to look and them. He stuck his tongue out at them and grinned. It wasn't often that he could shock his kids and he reveled in every moment he did. He knew that, if he had been out of the house at the same time that Dean had been gone, Sam would be cutting him with a silver knife just to check to see if he was a shifter.

Hank grinned weakly then remembered his invitation, "Well, if it's good for you, we can have that barbeque later today. Let you meet the neighbors."

John once again made his sons wonder by replying, "Sounds good. What time do you want us over at your place?"

"Five sound good to you? Gives me a chance to get everything ready," Hank asked. John nodded his agreement. After a couple more minutes of small talk, the Hills left with Bobby excited about his new friend and his parents puzzled.

After the door closed, Dean looked at his father and asked, "What the fuck?"

_tbc_

_A/N-sorry about the absence but I had a problem with writer's block. This has been fun to write and I hope you like it. next chapter will be published in a couple of days._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As Hank got the party together, he looked up to see two trucks pulling into the Winchester's new home. One truck held an older man with a ball cap, mustache and beard. He got out and retrieved a duffle from the passenger side. The other truck carried a younger man, someone between the age of John and Dean. He also carried a duffle and a shotgun. Both men walked into the house without bothering to knock. Hank heard one man say, "Johnny, we're here!" and he figured these were the brothers John had talked about. He was about to turn back to his chore when a late model Mustang drove up and parked in the alley outside of the Winchester home. A very large man with long black hair got out. He too retrieved a duffle out of the trunk of the Mustang but, instead of just walking in, he knocked at the door and waited until it was answered.

Again, it was the youngest Winchester who answered but instead of the shout for his father like he had done when Hank and his family had come over, the young boy grinned and shouted, "Josh! Hey, dad, Josh is here!" Hank watched as the man put his duffle down and, picking up the child, spun him around as Sam giggled. He then put Sam down and the pair went into the house. From the scene, Hank could only guess that another brother had shown up but wasn't expected. He just made a mental note to make more burgers. His Vaugner Char-King could handle the extra food with no problem.

Peggy came out of the kitchen to report on her calls, "I have called John Redcorn who said he would be here and I also called Reverend Stroop. I thought she could talk to John Winchester about taking his sons to church. She asked if it would be okay to bring a friend who had just dropped in from out of town and I said it would be. Nancy said she will bring the salad and Min said she would contribute something to the meal. I told them that I would have an Apple Brown Peggy ready for dessert. Bill is bringing chips and dip while Boomhauer volunteered to bring beer. Bobby is getting the plates, cups and plastic ware out so that is taken care of…oh yeah, your father called…"

"Don't tell me he's coming!" Hank begged.

"Sorry Hank, too late, he has already invited himself, DeeDee and your brother, GH. Luanne, Lucky and Gracie will also be here. Luanne is very eager to meet little Sammy. She thinks that he will be interested in the Manger Babies."

Hank didn't think so but kept his mouth shut. When it came to Luanne, Peggy was blind to anything but her niece's wellbeing, even if that inconvenienced others. Since Luanne got into the Manger Babies, Peggy endorsed them whole heartedly. He had gotten the feeling that, even though Sam Winchester was small and young, he was more an adult than Luanne would ever be. Come to think about it, he and his brother were more adult than _Bill_ and _Dale_ would ever be. Hank cleaned the picnic tables and started to set them, putting the plastic coverings on first while Bobby retrieved the plates, cups and utensils. Hank got out the condiments and hamburger. He took the condiments to the table then went back into the house where he began to shape the patties.

As he was working, his mind went over the more pleasant aspects of having another family in the neighborhood. From John's handshake, Hank believed the man to be stable, hardworking, disciplinarian who had taught his children the meaning of shame, like he himself had tried to do with Bobby. Dean was a bit of a disappointment, though, since Hank had heard from the high school coach that the younger man refused to try out for the team saying that he had no interest in playing football. Hank just chalked that up to the fact the young man was responsible since he had heard the older teen had found a part time job. Sam was a mystery. Shy with an attitude. Hank didn't miss the flash of anger when Peggy had put him down about his Latin. He didn't miss the fact that Dean quickly backed his brother up or that John had been worried about Sam's anger and pushed the small boy towards his brother. The biggest thing that had him worried was that there was no Mrs. Winchester in the house nor was she even mentioned. Hank decided to have a talk with Bobby about trying to find out what happened to her. Smiling, he brought the patties outside to be cooked.

Around four, Khan, Min and Connie came over followed shortly by Nancy, Dale, and Joseph. It was actually expected since the women wanted information from Peggy while the men questioned Hank about their new neighbors.

"What do you think about the new neighbors, Peggy?" Nancy asked with an arch in her voice. There was something ruggedly handsome about John Winchester that just rang her chimes. The only other man who had ever done that for her was John Redcorn.

"I believe that Mr. Winchester is a capable man who loves his children. His oldest, Dean, is very charming but somewhat overprotective of his brother. Sam is shy but, from what his father and brother said, is a genius. I did not see any signs of Mrs. Winchester. I believe that she must have abandoned her husband and sons since, as you know, 90% of broken families have a divorce as its cause. I will have to check my facts but I believe that I am correct," Peggy said wisely. She had no doubt that she was correct. After all, she was the substitute teacher of the year for three years.

"The youngest is a genius?" Min asked. After Peggy nodded, she went on, "Not as smart as Connie, I'm sure. Connie Asian after all." Peggy nodded again, she had heard this assertion many times from Min and Khan not to believe it.

"What does Mr. Winchester do for a living?" Nancy asked with a gleam in her eye for any gossip.

"I actually do not know. We never got around to talking about that," Peggy confessed. "Maybe you could ask him and let us know. You are a reporter after all." Nancy smiled her cougar smile. She would get answers from the new neighbor, everyone could count on it.

Meanwhile, outside Hank was talking to Bill, Boomhauer, Dale and Khan about the new neighbors. "Did you happen to notice if they had surveillance equipment set up?" was Dale's question.

"No I did not. John Winchester seems to be intense but he is not a government spy," Hank said to cut Dale off his rant.

"Did you mention that I could give them haircuts whenever they wanted?" Bill asked.

"We didn't get that far," Hank confessed.

"Well what did you talk about?" Khan asked irritably.

"We just introduced ourselves and asked them to the barbeque. Not much else was said except he did introduce his sons. His oldest son is named Dean and the younger one is Sammy. Mr. Winchester's brothers have arrived so they too will be coming," Hank said a bit vaguely. He was still a bit unnerved about how the initial visit went. He didn't even get a chance to talk to the patriarch about the block charter. He made a mental note to talk to the man after dinner.

"What (mumble) about that (mumble) black beauty?" Boomhauer asked.

"Sorry, we didn't get around to talking about her. You'll have to ask Mr. Winchester yourself," Hank said. Then, since all the preparations were done, he and the others went out to the alley to have a beer. While they were drinking, they saw the Winchester clan coming out of the house and head their way. Hank noticed that the four adult men flanked the two boys while the older boy was behind the younger in a protective stance. The way the group moved was…well predatory to Hank's eyes. He shivered as if cold but didn't mention his uneasy feelings since he wanted to make a very good impression. Before the group got to him and his friends, Hank heard the unmistakable sound of his father's Cadillac horn. "Oh, great," he mumbled to himself. He decided to let Peggy handle Cotton while he waited for the Winchesters to approach.

"Mr. Winchester," he began. (John, John said quietly) "Okay John. I want to introduce you to my friends and your new neighbors. This is Boomhauer, Dale Gribble, Khan Supanusenpon, and Bill Dautrieve. Guys, this is John Winchester and his family."

John nodded at each man as he was named then introduced his group. "This is my brother in law, Bobby Singer, my brothers Joshua and Caleb, my sons, Sam and Dean."

Before anything else was said, a sharp cry echoed throughout the neighborhood, "Well Hank, ain'tcha going ta introduce me to your new friends?"

Hank closed his eyes and pinched his nose before looking up at John again. He smiled weakly and said, "John, this is my father Cotton Hill. Dad, this is John Winchester, his brother-in-law, brothers and sons."

Giving the old man his due, John stuck out his hand and had it pumped a couple of times. He didn't wince at the pressure the old man put into his handshake, knowing that he was being tested. "Good man. Did you just move here or are you passing through?" Cotton asked with a mean twinkle in his eye.

"We plan to stay for a while. I have some jobs lined up and I wanted a home base for my kids," John answered.

"Glad you came. This neighborhood needs someone with a backbone in it, unlike my son," Cotton said derogatorily.

"Hank seems to be more than satisfactory in that category," John said politely.

"He's a pansy. Doesn't even have a real job, just some pump jockey at a gas station," Cotton retorted.

"Dad, I'm the assistant…"

"Pump jockey," Cotton broke in.

"I work for Strickland…"

"Works at a gas station," Cotton broke in again. John watched the exchange and felt sorry for Hank. Even his father-in-law wasn't as bad as this old man and that was saying something. Samuel never did like him, especially when he started to go out with Mary.

Bobby Singer was getting pissed. "I think that any man who would take a job to keep a roof over his child's head and food in his belly should be thanked. There are too many people who are sitting on their asses and not doing anything. They have no excuses for it except that they refuse to take a low paying job since it's beneath their sensibilities," the Salvage Yard owner gritted out.

Joshua chimed in, "I know this guy who goes from one friend's house to another friend's house. He doesn't work or even attempt to find work but lives off his friends until they get sick of it and kick him out. Hank here has a job and for that you should be thankful you don't have a deadbeat son."

Cotton's mouth dropped open as he thought about it. Then he said, "You're right. I AM thankful he's working and teaching my grandson good worth ethics." Inside he was seething but he too could feel the danger radiating off the men in front of him. He knew when to pick his battles so he backed off. For now.

Deciding that the peace of the alley had been broken enough, Hank gestured the group to follow him into his back yard. Peggy, Min and Nancy were there along with John Redcorn, Reverend Stroop and her guest, Jim Murphy. Seeing Jim, Sam and Dean broke away from their protective phalanx and ran to the good Pastor.

When they got to him, Jim lifted Sam into his arms. He shifted the slight boy so he could put an arm around Dean. Both boys loved him and were grinning like crazy. "So Jim, I see you know these two boys," Karen Stroop asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"I sure do, Karen. They are my adopted nephews. I've known them for years now and I can honestly say that it is my pleasure to be part of their family," Jim said with a smile. "Boys, this is my friend Karen Stroop, Reverend Stroop to you. Karen, this guy beside me is Dean Winchester and the one in my arms is his baby brother Samuel…er Sam as he likes to be called. I want the two of you to behave for Reverend Stroop whenever she stops over, understand?" He mocked glared at them. Both boys grinned then gave their solemn word to be good for the Reverend.

"Nice to meet you boys," Karen said, her mid-western twang unmistakable among the Texans who surrounded them. "How do you like Arlen so far?"

Like John had said, Sam was shy around women. He hid his face in Jim's neck as Dean answered, "So far, so good. It's better than some places we've stayed at." Dean left it at that. Karen, who knew about the supernatural, nodded wisely. She was aware of the Winchester propensity to stay in cheap motel rooms or apartments. It was a trait of a Hunter that she knew very well, being the daughter of one herself. Hunting never paid money so most Hunters were pretty much one step away from living on the streets if it wasn't for some of the more creative ways of earning money though some came from money and some had skills that could be used in a regular job.

"Jim said you are Anglicans," Karen said. "I hope you will give the Methodists a chance." She grinned since Jim had already filled her in on John's religious feelings that Dean mirrored. Sam was the only one in the family who had faith, he had told her.

Hank, hearing the Reverend's request, came up and said, "If they need help finding the church, I'll be happy to have them follow us, I tell you what."

Jim grinned as Dean squirmed. He watched for a minute then changed the subject to let the young man off the hook. "I understand that you have a couple of gun clubs here in Arlen."

The subject did what Jim had hoped and distracted Hank. "Yes, there's the Arlen Gun Club and Nine Rivers Country Club. The Gun Club is open to the public and you can use it for $2.00 a day. Dale is the president and he can get you a life-time membership, which is free. Nine Rivers, unfortunately, is only open to their members."

"What are the hours for the Gun Club?" Dean asked with interest.

"They are open 9-5, Monday through Saturday," Hank answered. Then he said, "If you are interested, the YMCA gives gun safety classes. I got the information in the house since Bobby had gone through the class himself. Yep, I got a real Davy Crocket living with me."

Dean replied, "Dad taught us about gun safety when we started shooting. We both started when we were eight."

Hank tried to stress the safety class, "I'm sure your dad's very good but you should take the gun safety class to make sure that you are perfectly sure about what you do."

Jim put Sam down since the youngest Winchester was starting squirm. Experience told him that the Sam volcano was about to erupt. Sure enough, Sam defended his father, "Dad was a Marine who taught us how to care for weapons of all sorts. Dean can disassemble and reassemble a Taurus in under a minute. Blindfolded. Dad's been known to take a gun that's jammed and fix it before firing in a…"

"Samuel, that's enough bragging now. I think Mr. Hill now understands that the two of you really don't need the class but if he feels worried about it, maybe you can give him a demonstration later," Jim cut Sam's tirade off before he could really get going.

"Sam," John said behind his son, "I appreciate your defending my lessons, son, I really do but you could have gone about it in a nicer way." He put his arm around Sam to show that he wasn't too upset with his son.

"Sorry Dad, sorry Mr. Hill," Sam apologized. He was still upset at the slight against his father but knew better than to make a scene at a public gathering with people he didn't know. John knew what was going through his baby's mind and gave him a smile to show how proud he was of his son. Usually, it was Sam and Dean against the world but now, Sam had included his father in that tiny world. It was a very rare event, one that John treasured every time it happened.

"I see Bobby and a couple of kids are over by the garage. Why don't you and Dean go introduce yourselves and have some fun? Caleb, why don't you go with them?" John suggested. He wanted both his sons away from the very irritating Hank Hill before Dean did something that would get him arrested. John could see the mother grizzly coming out of Dean which always happened whenever Sam was upset. All three young people nodded and took off for the others while the grown-ups watched.

"Those are some boys of yours John," Karen said with a smile. Jim had warned her about the unique bond the Winchesters had, especially the boys and now she saw it for herself. John had done something unheard of in their world by keeping a motherless four year old and six month old with him while learning how to hunt. He could have dropped the boys off at a hospital or church, he could have given them to Social Services or even adopted them out but he didn't. He loved his sons very much and would protect them from anyone or anything, even giving his life for them. The wonderful thing was that the boys felt the same about their father, uncles and cousin but especially their father. Nobody dared screw with a Winchester and got out unscathed.

John watched his sons and smiled softly, "Yeah, they're great kids. I don't know what I did to deserve them."

Hank wondered about the differences between Cotton and John Winchester. Both were ex-military who had taught their kids about weapons. The main difference between the two was that Cotton never showed Hank that he loved him but John didn't seem to have a problem doing that for his boys. "Sam said you were in the Marines. Did you see action?" Hank asked, wondering how much similarity there was between the two men.

"Yeah, I was in 'Nam during '69. When I came back, I went to school for a while to learn mechanics then I went back to Lawrence where I met the boys' mother," John stopped. He still didn't like talking about Mary since it hurt so much. When they first met, it was hate at first sight but they kept bumping into each other until, finally, they admitted that they loved each other. It was then that John decided to get a vehicle and was looking at a van until a young man came over and talked him into buying his best purchase ever, the 1967 Chevy Impala that became his boys' home after the fire.

"Where is their mother?" Hank asked politely. "Will she be joining you soon?"

John took a deep breath while Jim put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Mary died in a house fire when Sammy was six months old." John left, unable to talk any more. He wasn't rude, just still mourning the death of the woman who had given him love and his children.

Jim turned to Hank after watching John walk towards his sons, "John and the boys don't really talk about Mary. Samuel doesn't remember her but Dean does. Her death left a very deep wound on John and Dean which I don't know if it would ever heal." Hank nodded then went to talk to Peggy. He didn't want her or the neighbors to bother the Winchesters with questions about Mary. He understood that it was a very painful subject for them.

The rest of the barbeque went fine. Hank learned that Dean loved burgers, especially with onions. John liked his burger plain while Sam was a salad kind of person. Hank shook his head, he never could understand a person who didn't like meat but he didn't say anything. The only time it got tense was when Cotton started to ask John about his experiences in Viet Nam, saying that only pansies fought in a police action while he fought in a war. John's face deepened to a shade of red that Hank had only seen in cranberry sauce. It was only the presence of Sam that stopped a full blown war. All he said was that he was proud that his father fought to help people even if many others didn't think they should have been there. It took guts, he said, to do something others looked down on you for. John hugged his son and whispered something in his ear then gave him a kiss on the top of Sam's head. They turned away but not before Hank saw tears in the large man's eyes. When Hank looked at his father, he saw respect and something else, longing and envy seemed to cross Cotton's face before it went back to its perpetual sour look.

Sam, Hank thought, was something else.

_tbc_

_A/N-sorry about the slow build-up but it'll get faster...I promise!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sam wasn't happy, not by a long shot. So far, he and his dad had been insulted. Sure, he and his dad were fighting more often these days but Bobby and Jim both told him that it was because he was growing up and starting puberty. Even his dad said the same thing, said that they were just too much alike in many respects which was the reason they clashed so often. Dad was great about it, though. He told Sam that, no matter what was said from here on out, all his baby needed to remember was how much he loved him. That was the reason why Sam lashed out at the older Hill, even though he had been taught to respect his elders. Nobody got away with insulting his father, nobody.

Then there was his big brother. From what Dean had told him, his big brother was being looked down upon since he didn't want to play football. The principal had actually looked down his nose at Dean. Dean was Sam's brother, father, mother and everything else. When dad wasn't around, Dean was there for Sam. For someone who looked down on the one person that Sam could always depend on, it hurt. It was an affront to Sam that these potential victims of the supernatural couldn't see the hero that stood in front of them. Dean was the one who protected the little boy from bullies, the one who gave Sam the last of the Lucky Charms when they didn't have anything else to eat. He was also the one who had taught Sam how to drive the Impala, how to help their father when he came home either drunk or injured. Dean was the one who taught Sam how to read and write at a very young age and the one who came to every school event his brother ever had. So yeah, Sam was pissed.

It took Bobby Hill to help him put everything into perspective. Bobby was the one who told Sam, during the Saturday that they sat playing handheld video games, how his father was raised by Cotton. "Grandpa never had much use for Dad, saying that he didn't know why he had been saddled with such a poor excuse for a son. Dad and I went out for a shooting contest but he had such a hard time that he actually went to a psychologist who helped him get over some of the damage Grandpa did to him. Dad doesn't know that I heard Grandpa had bet against him," Bobby looked sadly at his game then went on, "Sometimes, I wish Grandpa wouldn't come around anymore. I hate it when he hurts my Dad."

Sam nodded and whispered, "Dad can be like your Grandpa sometimes, always telling me what I did wrong and not telling me that I did well when I did. Unlike your dad, I got Dean to give me hugs and let me know when I've improved or just that I tried my hardest. Dad may be hard on me, he may yell but I know he loves me. Does your dad feel the same way about your Grandpa?"

Bobby looked down sadly, "I don't think Grandpa loves Dad." Sam looked at his friend then reached over to give him a hug. It was the one gesture of love that was given freely in the Winchester family.

John had been standing in the doorway, just outside of sight. He had heard the conversation and knew that Sam was being truthful about his assessment of their relationship. Tears were in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He loved his son fiercely and knew that his words had hurt his baby many times. He was thankful that Dean had stepped into the role of nurturer so that Sam knew that kind of softness that only a mother, and Dean, could give him. Clearing his throat and stepping into sight, he said, "Hey boys, I was wondering if you two would like to go shooting this afternoon. I thought we could check out the gun club and see if it's a good place for Sam and Dean to go practicing."

"Oh, boy would I!" Bobby exclaimed happily.

"That's sounds great Dad!" Sam said with a grin. He wasn't much for shooting but he knew that his dad and brother loved it.

"Okay, Bobby. Why don't you go and ask your father for permission. Do you have a gun or will you need to borrow one?" John asked.

"Got my own, Mr. Winchester. Be right back!" Bobby took off in a joyful run.

"Thanks Dad," Sam said softly. "That meant a lot to him."

John came up to his son and gave him a hug. "You are very welcome, son." They stayed like that for a long time.

When Bobby ran to his house, he burst through the door and yelled, "Dad! Dad! Mr. Winchester wants to know if it's okay if I go with him and Sam to the shooting range to practice. Can I, please? Can I?"

Hank looked at his son's excited face. He was uncomfortable with this show of emotions on one hand but loved the idea of his son's wanting to do an activity that Hank deemed as masculine, "I don't know, son."

Peggy had come out of the kitchen when she heard her child's excited cries and knew what was going through her husband's head. "Hank let him go shooting. You do not take him often and he really wants to go. Besides, it would help that poor little Winchester boy come out of his shell."

"You could always come with us," Bobby said with his version of puppy dog eyes. They rarely worked but he had a feeling that maybe this time they would. "Mr. Winchester doesn't know where the range is anyway. Please, Dad!"

Hank looked into his son's eyes. Normally, he would say no but this time…this time he decided to give into his only child's request. Besides, he had a feeling that it would be an interesting afternoon. "Sure son. Why don't you go over and ask if they wouldn't mind my tagging along."

Bobby grinned and gave his dad a hug, not something that was really done in the Hill household, "Thanks Dad! I just know he'll say yes!" Bobby ran out the door, excited that his dad was going to be joining them in an afternoon of father/son(s) bonding.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

John looked at the group and wondered if a witch had cast a spell on him…or maybe he was under the influence of a djinn. What started out as an afternoon at the shooting range with Bobby Hill and his sons ended up as an outing for four families. When Bobby was going to their house to ask permission for his father to join them, he had run into Joseph and Connie. After he told them of his afternoon plans, Joseph ran to his father and asked if they could also go, Connie did the same. Their parents decided to go to watch how John and the boys worked together. When Peggy found out that both Min and Nancy were going, she invited herself along. Now, John had five children and seven adults hanging onto his every word since Bill also decided to go along.

Shoving his nervousness into the back of his mind, John motioned the teens to get out their rifles. Sam and Dean both got their rifles out and readied themselves for his inspection. Bobby, Joseph and Connie watched as the boys both opened the breaches of their weapons and looked down the barrels. John stood in front of his sons and, one at a time, they gave him their rifles which he then looked carefully at.

"What are you doing, Mr. Winchester?" Bobby asked.

"Sam, why don't you tell Bobby why I am inspecting your weapon," John asked absently. He was more than pleased to see both rifles cleaned and oiled.

"Dad checks our weapons out to make sure they are in very good working order," Sam explained. "It's best to keep them cleaned and oiled so they can function properly." Bill was standing close by and nodded his agreement. He remembered his days in boot camp where the drill instructors had drilled that particular lesson in his head.

After he was done with his boys' weapons, the other teens looked at him and John sighed. He gestured for them to hand over their weapons after locking the breach open.

"Next time, make sure you don't have any bullets in the breach," John said. "Dean, tell them why."

Dean stood straighter as he said, "When you open the breach, if you have any ordnance in the weapon that means that there is a problem with the bolt clips which signifies the weapon is dangerous to fire. The weapon can jam hard and one or both rounds could explode in your face."

Seeing the confusion in the teens' faces, Bill came forward and said, "Ordnance means bullets."

"Thanks Mr. Dautrieve," Connie said with a relieved look on her face. Dean blushed. He was so used to his dad's terminology; he forgot most people didn't use those kinds of words. Connie saw his distress and smiled, "I like your explanation, Dean. It's great." She also liked the smile that Dean gave her. Sam was grateful for her tact and favored her with his own 1000 watt smile.

After John was done checking the rifles, he had all five teens line up in front of the targets. John had set up five targets each, one at 25 meters which would be used to zero the rifles in, then it went 50 meters, 75 meters, 100 meters and 175 meters. "Okay, here's how it's going to go. You use the nearest target to zero in your rifle. This is to adjust your sites and you need to fire three rounds. When you have a good shot group, you will be able to adjust the sites then. Ideally, you should be able to place a dime over the shots but I will accept you being able to put a quarter over the shots. Aim for the center or heart of the target.

"When you have zeroed your weapon in, I want you to stop and put your rifle down until everyone else is done. That way, I can safely go down range to check your accuracy. I will tell you whether you can go onto the next target. If you don't have a good shot group, you will not be able to go on. Remember always: Breathe, Relax, Aim, Squeeze or BRAS. Okay, load your weapons and stand bye."

Sam and Dean loaded their rifles with practiced ease. Joseph and Connie had a bit of a problem but, finally they too were able to load their rifles while Bobby was the best out of the three newbies. When the teens were done, John nodded and said, "Ready!" The Raney Street teens copied Sam and Dean's movements as they stepped up to their firing lines. "Aim!" The teens all lifted their weapons and sited down the barrels. "Fire!" Five rifles barked as the teens squeezed the triggers. Dean was the first to put his rifle down after three shots, it took Sam six shots to get his grouping. Bobby was next at nine whereas it took both Connie and Joseph fifteen shots. When they all had their rifles down, John took out two coins, one a dime and the other a quarter. He went down range and checked out the groupings. When he came back, he was grinning.

"Good job, all of you. Sam, Dean, Bobby, your groupings were dime-sized while Connie and Joseph both had quarter sized groupings. I'm proud of all of you," John said. Sam's jaw dropped, his father giving complements? Really?

For the rest of the afternoon, the kids shot at the rest of the targets, using the same techniques they learned for the 25 meter target. By the time they were done, all five of them were making shot groups the size of a dime. When they were cleaning their weapons, Hank went over to John and quietly asked if he could learn to shoot also. He was impressed that a military man could teach children without harassing them or even degrading them. John nodded and asked if he wanted a private lesson which Hank quickly took up. He didn't want his family or neighbors to know how bad of a shot he really was. The two men made an appointment to come back to the range the next day.

John wasn't done with his sons, though. He nodded at them to take out their pistols while he set up the next set of targets. This time, the targets were at fifty meters only, the effective range of their weapons. He checked their stance and the way they held their pistols. When they had gone through twenty one bullets each, he had them stop. Both of them had made center head shots and heart shots.

They were cleaning their weapons when Bobby came up with some questions, "Can you shoot a pistol with one hand and why do they hold them straight on? Can they shoot gangster style?

John looked over at the other teens, knowing they too wanted the answers to Bobby's questions. "You should always use both hands when shooting a pistol. This is to make sure that the hand that is squeezing the trigger will not jump. You always hold the pistols straight and _never_ gangster style. You are accurate only when you hold the weapon correctly. If you fire it gangster style, you have no real reason to expect to hit your target."

Joseph was curious, "You said a pistol will jump. I know that my Dad's pistol seems to jerk upward. Why does that happen?"

"It's the size of the barrel. If you noticed, when you fired your rifle, there was little to no kick. When you fire a pistol, there will be a kick which will cause the weapon to jerk upwards because of the recoil. A shotgun may have a long barrel but it kicks because of the amount of gunpowder in the shell," John explained. He looked at the teens and noticed the shine of a bit of hero worship in each pair of eyes whereas his sons smiled. It warmed his heart. "Okay, let's finish cleaning the weapons then I'll treat all of you to some ice cream." He grinned as he heard the whispers of "Christo" from his sons.

It took a few more minutes of cleaning the weapons and policing their rounds before the families packed up and left the range. Bill was smiling, he had recognized the military training that John was giving his sons and approved. Dale had a greater respect for John since the man knew his business and was able to pass the knowledge onto the kids. Khan was a bit disturbed but Min hushed him. She also recognized the military style of John's lessons. Because of the way her own father taught her how to shoot, she was very comfortable and approved of the man. Hank, though, was very happy and pleased about the way things went. He had been afraid that John would be like Cotton when he was teaching but now, he realized that not all ex-military were as hard as his own father.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

The next couple of weeks saw the Winchesters settle down into a comfortable routine. John worked with Dean at his part-time job, John Redcorn had told his friend that the Winchesters were Hunters and the man was very happy to take John on until he went Hunting. After seeing the skill that John had, Tim White Eagle fervently wished that John would stay on permanently.

Sam went to school but wasn't very impressed with some of the kids, especially Dooley and Clark Peters, both were bullies but in different ways. Dooley liked to make fun of other kids and decided that Sam's new name was Tiny Tim, due to his size. When other kids started to call Sam that, he ignored them, even if they tried to get his attention. Sam knew his brother and father wouldn't like it very much if he broke Dooley's nose just because of some name calling, even if it did hurt his feelings. Clark Peters, on the other hand, was more of a physical bully, tripping Sam any chance he got. Once, Clark even shoved Sam down so hard that Sam ended up with skinned knees and a bruised chin. When Dean saw that his baby had been hurt, he had to be held back by John from going after the other kid and teaching him why it was bad to harm a Winchester.

It was during the weekend that the Winchester boys got their chance to get back at Sam's tormentors. Caleb, who had been staying at the house, helped them to figure out a prank that would scar the bullies permanently. Because they needed to have information on the two, the trio got Bobby to help with the prank. Bobby grinned then went to get Joseph to help out.

They waited until their prey got into their sights. Connie, who had been taken into their confidence, made sure the part of the park where they were going to pull the prank, was empty of any other witness. Clark and Dooley were hiding in the tree line, smoking a cigarette when Bobby Hill and Joseph Gribble came walking down the path, talking.

"Did you hear the fighting going on over at the Winchesters last night?" Bobby asked Joseph.

"Yeah, I heard that it took both Dean and Mr. Winchester to lock Sam in the closet before Mr. Winchester's brother could find the sedative. Man, I'd hate to see what would have happened if Sam had gotten his hands on that butcher knife like he had threatened to," Joseph responded with a shudder. The two kept walking past where Dooley and Clark were hidden.

"Do you believe that little runt is dangerous?" Dooley asked worriedly.

"No, I don't," Clark wheezed then took another drag off his smoke. Suddenly, a pair of feet could be heard running fast down the path. Both boys looked out of their hiding spot to see a bloodied Dean running as fast as he could.

"No Sammy, I'm sorry! Please little brother, don't hurt me anymore!" Dean pleaded at the top of his voice.

Clark and Dooley's eyes popped out as they saw Sam rushing down the path after his brother, bloody butcher knife held high in his hand. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" he screamed at the top of his voice. Then he spied the two boys who had bullied him the first week at school. He screeched and started after them. Clark and Dooley dropped their cigarette and left twin trails of urine as they ran away.

Sam and Dean watched the pair run. They looked at each other and cracked up. Bobby, Joseph and Connie, who had watched the show at a distance, came back, laughing hard. Then the five teens went back to the car where Caleb was waiting, camcorder in hand. He was grinning from ear to ear. Dean went to the trunk and changed his shirt while Sam put the knife away to be cleaned later. Then he too changed his shirt and wiped the ketcup off his hands. The group got into the Impala to go back to the Winchester house to await the second part of their prank.

It took only a half an hour before a very confused John Winchester was confronted by Dooley's and Clark Peters' parents. They expressed their concern for his oldest son's injuries caused by a clearly psychotic younger Winchester. John looked at the five kids and Caleb sitting in his living room, watching television. He opened the door to show the two sets of parents that, no there hadn't been any altercation the night before and no, Dean was not at death's door. In fact, Sam and Dean sat on the couch, drinking sodas and eating popcorn with the neighborhood children.

When he finally closed the door on the clearly relieved parents, he turned to the group of innocent looking children. He didn't say a word as Connie, Joseph and Bobby began to fidget. Then he went to the kitchen to get a pie that he had hidden from Dean. Cutting it into eighths, he silently put the pie on plates heaped with ice cream. Then he went to the living room and handed out the treats.

"Good job. No one got hurt and you got your point across," He grinned at the astounded teens.

"I got it all on the camcorder. Do you want to see it?" Caleb asked with a smirk.

John answered with his own devilish grin, "Yup! Maybe I can use it on Bobby and Josh." The house erupted into laughter. He sat on the couch with his sons at his side, eating pie and laughing his ass off.

The next time a prank was pulled, John was in on it. This time it was Bobby who had gotten hurt by Chang Wassanason, the son of Ted Wassanason, a very rich man, and Chang's friends. Bobby and Connie had been walking down to the store when Chang and his gang ambushed them. Connie couldn't do anything while Chang punched Bobby in the stomach as two of his buddies held him. Two more held Connie so she couldn't help or run away. When Sam heard about it, he went to his dad and Dean for help. He knew that their feelings of protectiveness now extended to the other kids on their street and they wouldn't take this laying down.

Bobby Singer was in town when the beating happened. He felt the same protective way as John did and the two older Hunters put their heads together. Joshua was in the area so they called for his assistance in teaching the bullies that it wasn't a good idea to hurt one of their kids. When asked, Connie told them that Chang and his friends liked to hang out at the Arcade, taking money from the younger kids. The older men grinned, they had an idea.

It was a Saturday night when they sprang their own prank. While the boys were in the Arcade, John picked the locks on their bikes and put them in his truck to be driven to the Wassanason's house later. Joshua got into position with a small instrument that disrupted cell phone transmissions. As they waited, John hid behind a dumpster and pulled his hunting knife.

When the boys decided to go, they found that their bikes were gone. Chang got out his cell to call for a ride and found he had no bars. The others did the same only to find their cells didn't work either. Chang shrugged his shoulders and they started to walk. They got two blocks away from the Arcade when they noticed that they were being followed. Picking up their pace a bit, they went three more blocks before finding another person walking towards them holding something long and shiny. They shot down an alley only to find a person laying bloody on the ground and a big man who looked like he was _eating_ him. When the man looked up, they could see the blood on his face, dripping from his mouth. The person on the ground had no face and the word bully was clearly carved into his skin. The "ghoul" got up and went towards the group who turned around only to be confronted by the two who had corralled them into the alley.

"Brains!" The two cried. That was all it took for the group to scream and run away. They didn't hear the laughter of the three "ghouls" and "victim". Bobby went back to help Dean up then the four drove to the Wassanason house to leave the bikes. John didn't regret the pound of hamburger it took for the prank. Even he had to admit it looked pretty gruesome on his son's face.

It was two days later when Chang and his friends went to the Hill house and apologized to Bobby and Connie. Dean unkindly said that it took them that long to clean their clothes. John just laughed and cuffed his son in a loving gesture.

_This chapter dealt with gun safety. I used many of the Army's gun safety rules since I had access to an ex-Army member who helped me with that part of this chapter_

_The prank that Sam, Dean, and Caleb pulled on Dooley and Clark Peters was taken from one that my Honey played on a bunch of kids when he and his brother were kids. My husband and his brother lived on a farm with very few neighbors around. The group was there, hanging out when Don and his brother got into an argument. They ran into the house with their best friend running after them. What they did, was to shoot a gun out of a window into the air and cover Don's brother in ketcup. The rest went the same as in the story. It was done carefully and was well-thought out. Most of the kids had come back and only one kid never returned to the site of the prank. Of course, my Honey says that it was all his best friend's idea. Yeah, like I believe that! *smiles* _

_tbc_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Winchesters had been in the neighborhood for three weeks before John left on a Hunt. Like they had arranged, Bobby Singer stayed with the boys while John and Joshua went the Texas A&M to take care of the trickster. Bobby Hill had been having problems with his father and needed to talk to someone. Hank was on another one of his kicks about Bobby getting out of the house and doing a sport. Even though Bobby really wasn't interested in either soccer or football, he usually played football just to appease his dad. He thought that Sam could understand what he was going through. He knew that Sam and John fought a lot, that Sam still loved his father regardless of their fighting. Sam also had Dean who would make the younger boy feel better after one of his verbal sparring matches with his father. Bobby needed that kind of support and his mother just wasn't cutting it since she usually backed his father unless it had to do with something educational.

Bobby was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice John Redcorn's jeep parked in the Winchester driveway. When he got to the door, he heard voices in the yard so he followed them. As he neared the voices, he heard Sam ask, "I know that Wendigos had been people who had eaten human flesh. What I don't understand is why there isn't that many of them. I mean, we have read about cannibalism and cannibalistic rituals in many cultures but you don't hear about very many Wendigos running around even if they do have the twenty year cycle and are found in the woods. Why's that?"

Bobby stopped as he recognized John Redcorn's voice rumble as the man answered, "It actually has to do with the reason why a person was a cannibal. If there was no other food except for the dead bodies around you or even if you drew straws to see who will be killed and eaten like some of the sailors did long time ago, that wouldn't turn you into Wendigos. Nor will eating of a family member after they died or even eating your enemy since both are ritualistic cannibalism. What does it is when a person will go out and kill someone even though there is enough food and it isn't part of a ritual. It is when the reason is ill-intent that the potential of turning into a Wendigo is there. My ancestors ate their enemies to take into themselves the bravery and strength of that enemy. The Donner party ate their dead just because there weren't any animals left and it was the dead of winter. They just didn't have any other food left."

Bobby listened, fascinated by the lesson. He still was embarrassed by his own research into Mr. Redcorn's tribe. When he found out about the cannibalism, he thought he was honoring Mr. Redcorn's ancestors by bringing that bit of history into the light of day. He blushed, remembering everyone's reaction and, now listening to the lesson, he realized why it was such a touchy subject. He rounded the corner and rushed up to John Redcorn, "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize what I did! Can you forgive me? Please?"

John Redcorn was startled for just a few seconds then put his arms around the touch starved child, "It's okay, Bobby, really. There is nothing to forgive but if you need to hear it, yes, I forgive you."

Sam watched his friend warily. He didn't know if Bobby would shun him or think of him as a freak. "Um, Bobby, did you need anything?" he asked cautiously.

Bobby wiped the tears off his face. He didn't even know he had been crying, "Uh, yeah. I just needed to talk to you about Dad. Do you have time?"

Sam looked at their guest. John Redcorn just nodded. He knew that Sam would question Dean about the rest of the lesson until the older boy's ears felt like they were bleeding. Sam smiled and answered Bobby, "Sure, why don't we go to my room. More private there." Dean frowned a bit, his mother/big brother instincts were flaring for both boys but he decided to ask Sam about it later. Even if Bobby took Sam into his confidence, Dean could always get his baby brother to tell him what was going on.

Bobby followed Sam to the kitchen where the youngest Winchester grabbed a couple of sodas before leading his friend to his room. When they got there, Bobby looked around curiously. Sam had never brought anyone into what his brother called the sanctum. There were two beds and two dressers. One side of the room was impeccable while the other was messed up. On the walls were strange markings while there was salt lining the window sills. Above both beds hung dream catchers.

Sam sat down on the bed on the clean side of the room. Even here, there was some clutter. Books and a laptop along with Sam's backpack sat neatly on the dresser. When Bobby looked at the titles, he saw that they were in different languages. In fact, there was one that he couldn't even hazard a guess at since the alphabet was different. Sam saw what his friend was checking out.

Pointing to the one with the strange writing, he said, "Sanskrit." Then he named off the other books' languages, "Latin, Greek, Russian, Aramaic, French, German, Italian and Celtic. I also have books in Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic. Uncle Bobby is teaching me and Dean Japanese but we don't have any books yet. He put a couple on order and they should be here in a couple of weeks."

"Wow! And you know all these languages and can read these books?" Bobby asked in wonder.

"Yeah, been reading most of them all my life. Pastor Jim said I started by picking up a book written in Latin when I was three. He picked me up and we started to read it together. I guess I must have picked the language up real fast. Freaked Dad out something fierce but Pastor calmed him down and told him I wasn't possessed or anything," Sam was frank and very honest. He knew that Bobby would have questions about what John Redcorn was talking about.

Bobby was curious. He saw that Sam was being open with him and decided to take advantage of that rare event. "What are they about?" he asked.

Sam pointed to the one written in Sanskrit, "This one talks about some of the more ancient monsters such as succubae and incubi. It goes into the origins of the monsters that were originally from the region of the Middle East so you also have djinn mentioned." He then pointed to the ones written in Greek and Latin, "These talk about rituals and spells to be used against witches and demons to name a few. The rest of the books are like that also. What we found is that the monsters which are now located all around the world had origins in other countries. Many times the rituals that were used in ancient times are among the most effective. Tricksters, for instant, are found in most cultures but they have their origins back before Moses, so a stake made of a certain type of wood and dipped in lamb's blood is the universal weapon against them even though they all have their distinctive weaknesses. Leschi, for example, can be killed not only by the prepared stake but also by iron."

"Wow! I mean…wow! Er, Sam? Why do you know all this?" Bobby asked after he had absorbed what Sam had told him.

Sam motioned that Bobby join him on the bed. Bobby patiently waited as Sam gathered his thoughts. "When I was six months old, my mom died," Sam began in a whisper. Bobby could see that it wasn't that Sam didn't want anyone else to hear them but that the subject was very painful for the other boy. "Dad and Dean both told me that it was a demon that killed Mom. They never said how then I found out. When I was eight, I had a dream that there was a pretty blond woman on the ceiling above me, her belly was cut open and her mouth was open in a silent scream." Sam took a chance to glance sideways at Bobby to gauge his reactions. "Then, flames erupted around her. I screamed as Dad picked me up and gave me to Dean telling him to take me and leave. Then Dad turned back into that fiery room. Before you say that it was just a nightmare, I found Dad's journal and read about Mom's death. I kept reading that damned thing and found out about the world of the Supernatural. It isn't just demons out there but other things too. Werewolves, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, and Wendigos are just a few things out there.

"Ever since Mom, Dad has been hunting the demon that killed her. He hunts other supernatural creatures too, those that hurt people. He trained Dean ever since I can remember but he only started training me after I let on that I knew what he did. Pastor Jim had started my training much, much earlier with the languages, especially Latin. By the time I was six, I could recite any one of ten different exorcisms. I learned how to put up protective sigils and salt lines down by the time I was seven."

A light went on in Bobby's head, he had an idea that would get his dad off his back and give him purpose in his life. Bobby loved being a comedian but he also cared deeply for his family and friends. The run-ins with bullies made him feel helpless and a bit hopeless. "Sam, what kind of training do you do?" he asked carefully.

Sam looked at his friend. "We do running, sparring, shooting, learning how to use knives and the whole host of studying languages and rites, why?"

"Dad's been getting on me to do some kind of sports but I really don't want to. The sports here don't interest me but Dad doesn't want to hear it. What I'd like to do, if it's okay with you and Dean, is to join you in your training…"

"Bobby," Sam was startled, "do you know what you are willing to do? You will be throwing away your innocence. To you, a creak down the hall at night means the house is settling. When I hear something like that, I grab salt and Holy Water along with my knife just in case it is something that could hurt me. I really envy you, you know."

"Yeah, I may have that kind of innocence but I also want to know what's out there so I can protect my family. You are doing something heroic by saving as many people that you can. I always wanted to do something like that but, as you can see by looking at me, I'm a failure at most of the things I want to do. I was even so hard up for friends I ended up with a few witches…"

"Witches! Why, I mean…" Sam stuttered.

"Yeah, witches but don't worry, they weren't real ones just a bunch of losers who didn't understand what they were getting into. Dad told me that they didn't have any real power," Bobby explained

"Did they ever take you to their place of worship?" Sam asked carefully.

"Turned out to be one of the guy's mom's house. He lived in the basement," Bobby responded to Sam's gentle questioning.

"What did it look like? Did you notice an altar or a book that they read from frequently, especially during their services?" Sam asked.

"Naw, there wasn't any altar that I could see, just a bunch of electronic stuff. They called themselves the Coven of Artemis," Bobby supplied.

"The. Coven. Of. Artemis?" Sam squeaked in disbelief. "Artemis? Really?"

"Yeah, why?" Bobby asked.

"Okay, here's your first lesson in hunting," Sam said after his laughing finally died down. "Um, first of all, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt in Greek Mythology. She is not a witch or even related to witchcraft so she, if she exists, would be pissed that some lame asshats would be taking her name in vain. She definitely would not have a coven dedicated to her but a temple. Did they do a ritual while you were around?"

"Uh, they tried to make me drink Spiritus Caninus. They said I had to be the chalice holder," Bobby said turning a bit red.

"Spiritus Caninus?" Sam asked puzzled.

"Dog blood, they wanted me to drink dog's blood," Bobby said with a bit of a retch in his voice. Even now, he got a bit green thinking about that part of his history.

Sam took pity on his friend, "Real witches will use blood in some of their most powerful spells. Even though they can and do use animal blood, it is the blood of humans that really give their spells a kick. Drinking the blood wouldn't have hurt you unless they put a combination of herbs in it and said the correct incantation, which from what I'm gathering, they didn't do.

"In many hunting lore, and I'm talking about animal not supernatural hunting, it is traditional for a young person to have a drink of his first kill's blood. By doing that, you are supposed to receive that animal's attributes to make you a better hunter," Sam paused as a terrible thought passed through his head. "Bobby, how did they get that blood anyway? Did they kill a dog for it?"

"One of the guys' mom's boyfriend works at a veterinarian's and he got it from that guy," Bobby replied.

"Good, that means that they weren't real witches but some wannabes. But to be on the safe side, I'll ask Dean and Uncle Bobby to check them out. Maybe give them a real good scare," Sam muttered with a glint in his eye. Like his brother, he really hated witches, especially after seeing what a curse could do to a hunter friend of their father's. When the man died after he had been cursed, he looked as though he had bled through every pore in his body.

After that, Bobby's impromptu lesson in hunting became more intense as Sam described some of the creatures he and his family hunted. Because Bobby had seen the protective sigils and the salt lines, Sam let him know that those were protections against ghosts, poltergeists and other nasties though some creatures could still breach the defenses. Bobby wanted to learn how to draw the sigils and what they meant so Sam provided a pencil and paper to teach his friend the basic sigils of protection. When the young teen did the drawings correctly, Sam then got out a special marker. "Bobby, this is a marker you can use to draw the sigils all around your house. Since the ink can only be seen with a special light, your parents won't even know they are there." Bobby smiled his thanks. Then Sam said, "For the salt lines, we have plastic tubing we use when we stay in motels and other people's houses. They are filled with rock salt and can be put on top of window sills and door frames. They can be removed quickly and easily whenever you need to move them or when your mom is cleaning. We need an exact count of the windows and doors of your house so we can make up some of them for you."

"Thanks, Sam! I'm feeling much better now," Bobby said with a grin.

"There is another bit of protection you can use. Some of the monsters like to attack when you are asleep and invade your dreams. As a shaman, John Redcorn can make a dream catcher for you to hang above your head so you will be protected that way," Sam recommended.

"I'll ask him for one. Uh, do you know how much he charges for one?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied. "You'll have to ask him. Dean and I got these from an Ojibwa medicine man who is a friend of Pastor Jim's."

Then Bobby noticed the time on Sam's clock and decided he needed to shift the conversation to the physical training part. "So how do we start the training?"

Dean, who had been standing in the door for the past ten minutes decided it was time for his participation, "Well, you will need to tone up and build endurance. So let's get you into some running. Sammy and I do five miles a day but we won't do that to you right away. We can do some cadence running for a while. It's both easier on you and a bit harder since you will need to keep up with us. I'll set a nice pace until you can handle it, then I'll pick it up a bit more until you are running five miles with us. The next thing would be to learn some of the moves you need in hand to hand combat, which means for the first week, you will be learning how to fall. Because you are so out of shape, you will need to work on your diet a bit. Try to cut out many of the sweets but remember to give yourself a treat at least once a week until your weight is where you want it to be. I suggest you talk to a doctor or nutritionist. You will need to come over every night to learn Latin and some of the other languages geek boy knows. I'll teach you to use more of the weapons we have and I know Uncle Bobby will help out also. So will the rest of the family but be warned, Pastor Jim is going to say you are too young for such a burden but, if this is what you want, stand firm. Sammy and I'll have your back."

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

At first, Bobby wanted to die. The physical training the Winchester boys did was more intense than anything Bobby had ever seen, even in the high school. After his lessons on how to fall, Dean and Sam showed Bobby true sparring. In deference to Sam's size, Dean pulled his punches only enough to not really hurt his brother even though Sam had his share of bruises. Sam, on the other hand, didn't pull his punches. Sam would show his friend the moves he needed to make by doing them first with Dean then with Bobby following them. Dean would move in to engage Bobby and they would slowly work on the moves. Bobby would block Dean's slow moving punches or kicks. When the blocks were done to Dean's satisfaction, he began to move faster.

Latin, running, eye/hand coordination, blocking, punching, more running, Greek, all of these were necessary skills for a hunter in training Bobby was told. Even though his muscles protested, he didn't say a word. Just took a hot shower and went to bed tired.

Sam helped Bobby with his homework since he didn't want his friend to fall behind in school, giving Bobby's parents something to holler about. Between Sam and Dean, Bobby's grades gradually started to get better until he was getting nearly all As in his classes. The Winchester boys also made it a practice to help Bobby with his chores so he wouldn't get in trouble for not having them done.

Their efforts and training didn't go unnoticed. Both Joseph and Connie saw their friend slimming down and doing better in school. They noticed that Bobby had adapted the same kind of attitude that the Winchesters had and they decided to ask if they, too, could be included in the training. As with Bobby, Sam was very honest and frank about everything he told them. Even after the talk, both young teens still wanted to do the training for the same reason that Bobby did: to protect their loved ones.

Connie told them some of the stories her grandmother, Lao Ma, had told her. When he heard them, Sam wondered if Mrs. Supanusenpon had either been an exorcist, a Buddhist nun or a hunter herself. Connie called her grandmother and found out to her surprise that Lao Ma had indeed been a hunter in Laos. She had quit when she met Khan's father and married him. When Lao Ma heard that Connie was training to be a hunter, she came out for a visit and spent the entire time over at the Winchesters', teaching them some of the legends and lore she herself had come across. One of the stories had even Dean gagging. The story was about a well-off woman who had been promised to one man but loved another. When the man she was promised to found out, he had her burned alive but not before she had cast a spell to keep the flames from killing her. The spell didn't go into effect until there was only her head left. According to the story, the Kesu looked like a beautiful woman's head with her stomach and intestines hanging down from her neck. Lao Ma had actually seen and dispatched one since it was a hungry spirit. When Dean asked her how she did it, Lao Ma said that since the original death was caused by fire combined with a spell, it took a fire and a counter spell to destroy the Kesu.

Lao Ma's visit hadn't been well received by her son or daughter-in-law but she hadn't been there for them. Min wasn't very happy about the visit since that meant her mother-in-law would be in her house. Khan wasn't very happy either since his mother spent most of her time over at the Winchester house with his daughter and the neighborhood boys. When Lao Ma finally left Sunday evening, the only ones who were happy had spent the weekend with Sam and Dean.

Another person found out about the training that the Winchesters boys, Bobby, Joseph and Connie were doing. John found out a few days after he got back from hunting the trickster. He had gotten up around five in the morning, something he usually did, and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. When he was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, John looked out the window to see his sons with their friends, stretching before going for their run. John watched as the kids lined up and, with Dean leading the way, they took off at a measured pace. Something about that pace bugged John and he didn't figure it out until he heard Dean calling cadence.

"I don't know but I've been told!" Dean said in a loud sing-song voice.

"I don't know but I've been told!" the others echoed him.

"Eskimo kisses are mighty cold!" Dean finished that cadence.

"Eskimo kisses are mighty cold!" sang the other teens.

Two things struck John then. One was that the teens were running to a boot camp cadence and the other was that Dean used the clean version of that song. Knowing that the kids would be thirsty and hot when they got back, John got some bottled water out of the fridge and a few towels. These were put in the kitchen for the kids to grab when they came back from their run. It took a half an hour before the teens came back into view. John watched critically to see if any were flagging or showing dangerous signs of fatigue. He picked up the towels and water then went outside to wait.

Dean led the others into the backyard, walking from the street to help with the cool down. He gaped when he noticed his father standing near a pile of towels and the much wanted water. Wordlessly, John handed out the supplies.

"Take small sips otherwise you will get sick," he said. "Walk for a couple of minutes then come into the house for breakfast." Sam and Dean knew that tone of voice. It was the voice of the Marine Drill Instructor. When the others protested, Sam shook his head. They could never win against John when he was in that kind of mood.

When they went into the kitchen, they found the table filled with eggs, pancakes, toast and bacon. There were two carafes of orange juice. Under John's watchful eye, the teens piled their plates with food and sat down. After they ate, John had them put the plates in the hot, soapy water that awaited them. Then he had the kids sit down in the living room.

John honestly didn't know where to start. He looked at the five pairs of apprehensive eyes and wondered what to say until Bobby took it out of his hands. "Sir, we know about hunting and what you do. We asked to be trained so we can protect our families and help people who are being attacked by the supernatural. Sam and Dean didn't volunteer anything. They didn't let anything slip until I asked Sam for some advice. When we went into his room, I saw the books and asked about them. Sam was very honest and I appreciated that. Please don't punish them!"

John had to grin at that. Even now, the type of teamwork, having each other's back, was showing in the training the kids had received so far. "Okay, you really want to do this?" he asked the Raney Street kids. As one, they nodded. "I want to see what kind of physical training you are up to as of now then I want you to tell me where you are at with your Latin. Finally, I need to know how far you have gotten in learning about the supernatural creatures and how to get rid of them. When I'm at home, I will be overseeing your training and I'll talk to Dean about any changes to it. He will be your instructor except in research and languages, which is Sam's strong suit. I will be running with you in the morning and you will be having breakfast after you clean up. You will be provided with instructors but, if your grades slip or if I hear of any complaints about your chores not being done, this ends. Do I have your agreement?"

"Yes, sir!" came the loud shout as the five teens agreed. It was easy since Dean had already said the same thing to them.

"Okay, now I want you to go home and get ready for school. When you are ready, come back and Dean will give you a ride. Tonight, I want to do some sparring so make sure you get your homework and chores done early," John said with a smile. Five heads nodded and three teens left, going home to do what John said. After the others left, he turned to his own sons, "Good job on the cadence running. It will build muscle and endurance. You may want to wait another week before pushing another half mile on them. How far are you going to have them run in the end?"

Dean answered easily, "The same as we do, five miles."

"Have you started them on exorcisms yet?"

Sam was the one who answered that question, "Not yet. I'm still working with them on the pronunciation. I figured that it would be dangerous if they couldn't pronounce the words exactly since Latin needs precision."

"What about creature identification?" John was interested in how far they had gotten in the training.

"They know about Wendigos, Kesus, Fae, ghosts, poltergeists, werewolves, and shapeshifters. I thought we would go through demons at a later date since there are so many different kinds but we did help them set up protections in all three houses. We have been trying to work out a plan to get into Bill Dautrieve and Boomhauer's houses to put protections in there but, so far, we haven't been able to come up with a good plan," Dean replied.

"Let me and Bobby worry about that, son. You and Sam both have enough on your plates with the training," John smiled. "Now, get ready for school. Dean, I'll pick Sam up tonight so don't worry about that. Just go to work and I'll see you at dinner."

Sam and Dean looked at each other in wonder. Who was that man and what had he done to their father?

_tbc_

_A/N-I know this is kinda slow but the story demanded lots of background. Next-will the Winchester kids start the Raney Street kids on their first hunts? You will just have to wait and see...heeheehee! Yep, I'm evil!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The next few weeks turned out to be very interesting. Not only did the Raney Street kids learn everything that John and his family threw at them, they also trained very hard. Bobby Hill now was slimmer and more confident than he had been before he started. From what John heard, he also started to get quite a mouth on him, arguing with his father. That, John knew, was his sons' influence, especially Sam. Sam was the one who questioned his father about almost everything and it drove John crazy but the man knew it was Sam's way of trying to keep his family safe. There had been many times that John came home from a hunt only to find Dean trying to calm Sam down from either a nightmare or a panic attack because he was late. The next morning usually had Sam trying to jump down John's throat for scaring him badly.

It wasn't just Hank that was starting to have problems with his adolescent son. Peggy also was having some problems with Bobby's growing up. From what John heard, she just wanted her baby to never grow up and, now that he was, she was fighting it every step of the way. Bobby wanted to wear jeans and shirts like Sam did but Peggy refused to buy him the clothes he desired. Dean took Bobby to the thrift store and helped him pick out some jeans and shirts. Bobby paid for them out of his own savings which had grown since he stopped buying silly stuff such as fruit pies and other snack food. Then Dean took Bobby to the shoe store. Out of his own pocket, Dean bought Bobby some sturdy boots which he said would be good for hunting and some tennis shoes for training. Peggy had a fit but Hank said since it didn't come out of their own pocket, they had no say in how Bobby dressed.

Joseph had no trouble in changing his style of clothes but Min gave Connie the same kind of grief that Peggy did Bobby and for the same reason. Connie tagged along with Bobby and Dean when they went to the thrift store and used money Lao Ma had sent her to pick up the clothes she desired. When Min threatened to burn Connie's new clothes, Connie coolly told her that if her mother did that she, Connie, would move in with her grandmother. When Min went to Khan about Connie's statement, she was very surprised that Khan chose to back his daughter.

Khan had had a chance to talk in depth with his mother after the weekend she spent with the children. She was very honest with him and told him about her past and what the Winchester Family did. At first, he was very upset but then he started to understand that his mother, whom he loved very much, had protected not only himself but others without so much as a thank you most of the time. He was very proud when she told him that Connie had decided to follow in her own footsteps. When he asked if he too could be trained, she told him to ask John Winchester.

Khan had a very hard time bringing the subject up but John was shrewd and figured it out. That and a call from Lao Ma had told John everything he needed to know. The older woman wanted him to set up a family like his and that meant having a support system with researchers who didn't do much hunting themselves. John called Jim and asked him to come out to the house to help him talk to Khan. Luckily, Jim was still in the area so he stopped by and the three men had a very long and frank talk. What it boiled down to was that Khan would train physically with John and Dean, when John was gone on a job, but most of his training would consist of learning Latin and other languages as well as how to research different supernatural creatures. Khan was surprised to find out that Sam as well as Bobby Singer and John Redcorn would train him then. Lao Ma would also start to visit more often to help with his training, she had told John.

His training began with his running with the kids. At first, he thought it would be a snap but then he realized how much work the kids had taken on and his respect went through the roof, especially for Bobby Hill who he had sneered at and called "Fat White Lump" in the past. After his first run, he apologized to Bobby. Bobby accepted and forgave the man. Like Sam said, time and time again, life was just too short to hold a grudge. Khan also learned to respect Joseph, who was the star of Sam's Latin classes. Again, Khan felt he had to apologize since he had always figured that Joseph would turn out just like Dale.

Bill Dautrieve was another neighbor who started to train with the Winchesters. Bill had been introduced to the supernatural world in Louisiana, when a ghost had wreaked havoc on the family home. It had been Samuel Campbell and his family who had got rid of the ghost for them. While they were there, Bill had fallen for Samuel's daughter, Mary. He suffered his first broken heart when they left, one which had never healed. When he married Lenore, he married her for her resemblance to Mary, both were blondes and both were strong women. His heart broke even more when Lenore had divorced him. Now, he could see his beloved Mary in John Winchester's sons. The older child had her looks but the youngest had her strength. He wondered about it until he saw a picture of Mary and John in the living room of the Winchester home. He had initially gone there to talk to John about cutting Sam's hair, which he had been told by Dean, would never happen unless Sam wished it. When he saw the picture, his face lost all color and his knees felt like rubber. John helped the sagging man to the couch while Dean ran to get a glass of water. Sam helped his father by getting a thin blanket so they could treat Bill's shock.

Since he noticed that Bill's reaction came from seeing Mary's picture, John gestured for the boys to leave the room so he could talk to the distraught man without an audience. "Bill," John began gently. "What's going on?"

Bill lifted his head and gave a watery smile, "What was your wife's maiden name?" he asked.

John was a little taken aback but he answered anyway, "Campbell. Her name was Mary Campbell." Before the man had said anything else, John got up and went to the boys. Giving Dean some money, he asked them to go to Sugarfoots to pick up some dinner. Whispering to Dean, John asked him to take his time. Dean nodded and left with his brother. John then went back to Bill and sat down next to him.

"I know you heard that Mary died in a house fire," John began with difficulty, "What you don't know is that it was a demon that had caused it…" For the first time in a very long time, John told the true story of Mary's death to another person. After he was done, Bill's eyes had the same kind of fire in them that John's did. Another Hunter was born.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

Sam was tired and cranky. For the last few days, he had been having nightmares again. When Sam was younger he had had a very high fever which led to his first bout of nightmares. He had scared his dad and Dean so badly when he woke up screaming that both older Winchesters grabbed their guns and ran to his bed. This went on for a few weeks before his dad took him to a doctor who knew about the supernatural. This doctor diagnosed the five year old with night terrors and told the worried family that Sam could experience bouts of sleepwalking and even sleep talking. When asked by John what the cause of the dreams were, the doctor said that, in all likelihood the dreams had been caused by the fever Sam had just recovered from. The doctor then went on to say that night terrors could be caused by stress, fever, medication, head injuries, travel, sleeping in strange places, migraines, lights and noises, among other causes. Because of their job, the doctor prescribed some antidepressants to be taken only when the terrors started to interfere with Sam's life.

The pamphlets the doctor gave the Winchesters had also talked about the possibility of Sam sleepwalking or even sleep talking. They said that sleep or night terrors were distinguished from regular nightmares by waking up screaming, confusion after waking up, not responding to voices and being hard to wake up. After a few sessions of Sam waking up screaming, Dean took it upon himself to sleep with his brother which seemed to help for a while. Then Dean started to hunt with John and Sam's night terrors came back with a vengeance. John started to stay in one town for longer periods of time to help his son but found that it was the stress of possibly losing either John or Dean that triggered most of the terrors.

This last round of terrors happened because Dean went on a hunt with John. It was the one in Austin, the possible demon sighting. Caleb had stayed with Sam but when his brother and father didn't call on Friday night, Sam had terrified Caleb by screaming bloody murder in his sleep. Caleb couldn't wake the small boy so he called Jim who told him to just keep trying to wake Sam. It took fifteen minutes before the teen finally woke up, all the while Caleb was trying desperately to calm him down. This went on until Dean and John walked into the house Sunday night. By this time, both Sam and Caleb were exhausted. When the older Winchesters walked into the house, Sam ran over to them and grabbed hold so hard, both men had bruises where his hands had been. The hunt had been a bust, John told Caleb over Sam's head, the demon had killed his host and moved on.

Dean pried his brother off their father to get him ready for bed. While the boys were in the bathroom, Caleb told John about Sam's terrors. John sighed but was very happy he had gotten a refill on Sam's prescription. He had hoped staying in Arlen for a while would have helped but he forgot what Sam's stress level was like whenever Dean was hunting with John. John thanked Caleb for his help and went to warn his oldest that Sam may have a very hard time for a while. Dean grimaced but didn't say anything, just pushed their beds together so Sam could cuddle up to his brother at night. He also made sure that the room was cleared of all weapons, books and other things that Sam could hurt himself on if he went for a midnight walk, something that never stopped scaring him since the time Sam tried to walk into traffic while asleep.

Monday morning found Sam cranky, with a raging headache. John was all for his son staying home but Sam was adamant; he had a test in Spanish class that he didn't want to miss. John wasn't happy about it but he let Sam go since, if he tried to press his point, the young teen would have argued loudly which wouldn't do either of them any good. It was a very unfortunate move for Peggy since Principal Moss had called her to substitute for Sam's AP history class. When she walked into the classroom, Sam looked up and groaned his displeasure.

Sam wasn't really thrilled with Peggy. She had a very superior air about her, one that really grated on his nerves. Bobby told him that he didn't understand his mother at all except her mother had been really hard on her. He said that his Grandma Platter had been upset at Peggy for not living in Montana on the family farm and marrying a neighbor boy. Grandpa Platter never said anything against his wife, preferring to leave things in her capable hands so he never spoke up in Peggy's defense. Peggy had decided that, since her parents never gave her the validation she wanted and needed, she would validate herself. She became very competitive and never liked to lose. He even said that his mother was kind of savage when playing games with him, always playing to win. She needed to win so badly, Bobby revealed, that she once spent ten dollars just to win a free sundae that you had to guess the weight of to win.

The other thing that showed her type of OCD was that Peggy believed that she knew everything. Sam had been on the unfortunate end of her belief that she knew how to cure him of his shyness by exposing him to other adult women constantly, especially if he went over to Bobby's house. She actually sat next to the boys and talked about everything under the sun, getting most of her "facts" wrong. Sam had been raised by Dean and John to be polite to people outside of their family so he sucked it up and gritted his teeth, smiling when he really wanted to punch something. He had been very lucky that Peggy hadn't subbed for any of his classes…until now.

Peggy walked into the classroom, confident in her abilities to teach the AP History class. When she found that they were studying the Spanish Inquisition, she got out the mace she had used for the Spanish class she had once subbed for. Smiling at the students, she turned her back (something that still made her uneasy ever since Dooley pantsed her) and wrote her name. Turning back, she said, "My name is Peggy Hill but you may call me Mrs. Hill. Now, I see that you have been studying the Spanish Inquisition." She took out the mace and said, "This is a mace. It was used by the Inquisitors in their questioning of witches…"

Sam's headache spiked a bit as he raised his hand, "I'm sorry Mrs. Hill but the Inquisicion espanola was originally intended to ensure the Catholic orthodoxy of those who converted from Judaism and Islamic faiths."

Peggy stopped for a second, "Yes, Sam but also because of those they believed were witches."

Sam stopped her again, "I believe that the list of those who were prosecuted by the Inquisitors included Protestants, blasphemers, bigamists and crypto-Jews. I haven't seen anything that said the witch hunts were in Spain. From what I understand, most of those burnings were in Europe, especially Germany. In England, during the reign of Queen Mary, the burnings were of Protestants while King Henry…"

Peggy had enough. "Sam! I believe that I am teaching this class…"

Sam bristled, "A continuacion, por favor nos instruya correctamente." (Then please instruct us correctly.)

Peggy smiled at the ailing boy and said, "Of course I'll continue. As I was saying, the mace was used by the Inquisitors while questioning…those arrested." She skirted the subject of witches verses religiously persecuted people.

Again, Sam's headache sent a spike of pain. He decided enough was enough and started to gather his stuff. When he stood up, he swayed a bit. All Peggy saw was a student who was once again disrupting her attempts at teaching. "Sam, sit down," she ordered.

"I need to go. I have a headache," he explained.

"You need to sit down. Headaches are no excuse for disrupting my class," Peggy was determined to get her way.

While Peggy was confronting Sam, Connie got out her cell phone and quietly called Dean. When he answered, she explained what was going on and that she thought that he needed to get to Sam ASAP. Dean hung up quickly and ran out of his own class, not paying attention to his teacher's loud inquiry about his leaving.

It took him all of three minutes to get to the Impala then drive to Sam's school and run to the AP History classroom. When he got there, Sam was on the floor by the teacher's desk with his head in the waste basket. Peggy looked a bit green and more than a bit scared as Dean rushed to his brother's side, throwing her a glare that could have peeled paint off a barn. Knowing his brother was in severe pain, Dean tossed aside his need to tear her a new one to concentrate on Sam.

"Hey, Sammy. You going to be okay?" he asked his baby while rubbing Sam's back in a comforting manner. Sam shook his head as he threw up again. "Okay, kiddo. I'll wait until you're done then we are going to get you home. Did you take your meds this morning? Any Tylenol?"

Sam took a breath and said, "Meds, yeah. No Tylenol though, we're out."

"Okay, then. Let's get you home and into a dark, cool room. Then I'll go out and get you some pain meds," Dean cooed.

"'Kay," Sam agreed. Dean stood then picked his brother up off the floor. Connie went over with Sam's pack and gave it to Dean.

"If you want, I'll get his homework for him," Connie offered.

"Thanks, Connie. I know that geek boy would really appreciate it," Dean accepted.

"You're welcome," She replied. "I hope he feels better soon."

"Me too," Dean whispered.

As he started out of the classroom, Peggy loudly called out, "Remember to stop at the nurse's office and sign out at the front desk."

Dean turned to glare at her then continued out to the car. He would definitely be having words with her later. Now, he had a sick baby to take care of.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

Dean called John at the shop as soon as he had gotten Sam situated in their room, making sure that a fan was running to keep it cool and the shades were pulled down to make sure it was as dark as possible. He told his dad that they would have to eat out since Sam's headache became severe enough for their child to get sick if he smelled food in the house. John agreed then said that he would pick up some soup for Sam to eat later if he could, along with some crackers and ginger ale to help settle Sam's stomach.

Dean smiled when he hung up. Even if their father didn't say it often, he did love them and doing things like that proved it. Because the two elder Winchesters would be out for dinner, Dean called Bobby Singer and asked him to watch Sam, warning the older Hunter that his brother was down for the count with a bad headache. Bobby agreed saying that he would eat before he got to the house.

After all the arrangements were made, Dean went into the bedroom where his baby lay in pain. He hated it whenever Sam had a migraine since he felt so helpless against them. If he could, he would take the pain so Sam didn't have to but that wasn't in the cards. Carefully, Dean sat on Sam's bed and massaged his neck and head, knowing that it would help Sam. Then Dean lightly began to scratch Sam's scalp. He had seen Sam doing that one time while having a headache. When Dean asked him why, all Sam could say at the time was that it felt good. Now Dean made a point to do it so his brother would feel better.

While he tended his brother, Dean went over exactly what he was going to say to Peggy about her treatment of Sam. He didn't fault her for her attitude with Sam since he got extremely combative when he had a migraine but what he could fault her for was not letting Sam leave the classroom when he needed to. He knew that Sam had been embarrassed when he had his head in the waste basket, vomiting in front of the whole class.

Ever since Sam's night terrors had begun, he had been plagued with extremely bad migraines. There were a few times that the migraines had lasted for days, making it almost impossible for him to go to school but somehow he managed it. John had told Dean privately that it was because of the stubborn gene that all Winchesters had. That Sam's grades were still straight A's proved John right. There were even days that Sam couldn't keep his eyes open all the way, the pain was so bad but he still went to school and on hunts unless it was debilitating. Those were the times that Sam ended up in the hospital, sleeping since the doctors would give him an injection of some heavy duty pain meds along with muscle relaxers. Dean sincerely hoped that today wasn't one of those days since he couldn't stand to have his baby in the hospital. John had had to drag him away from Sam's bedside more times than he could count.

When John got home, he put Sam's soup in the kitchen then went to the bedroom where he knew both his sons were. Looking in, he saw Dean leaning up against Sam's headboard with the younger boy laying on his chest. While he looked at his sleeping sons, his heart swelled with love. There was nothing in the world he wouldn't do to keep his most precious gifts from his wife alive. He was disturbed from his thoughts when knocking was heard at the front door.

John sighed. He knew that Dean had called Bobby to watch Sam while they went out to eat but he was shocked when he saw the Hills standing on his doorstep.

Peggy was very quick, "Mr. Winchester, we must talk about your sons' attitude. Today, Sam was not only combative in class, contradicting me at every turn but he was disruptive when he tried to leave my classroom. Dean came into the room without knocking on the door and he took Sam out of school without stopping at either the nurse's office or the front office. They are also a bad influence on my son."

John's dark eyes were on Peggy, making her squirm before he turned his attention to the youngest Hill, "Bob, have you been doing your homework and chores?"

"Yes sir," Bob Hill answered.

"Can you tell me what your mother is talking about? Have you been playing pranks on your family?" John had an idea of what was going on but he wanted to hear it from the youngest Hill himself.

"Sir, I believe Mom and Dad don't like the fact that I bought my own jeans and shirts from the thrift store. They're unhappy that I changed my diet and they don't like the fact that my name is Bob," Bobby was straight forward and very firm.

Hank was grinning. His boy was growing up, no matter how much Peggy was going to fight it. "I believe we can live with the changes but you may want to let your mother call you Bobby," he told his son.

Bob flashed what Dean would call a bitchface. John fought to keep a straight face, "I believe those terms are acceptable. Bob, sometimes you need to compromise with mothers, if you know what I mean. Wear your jeans and the shirts you want if you buy them. I'm sure they can't really complain unless they look sloppy but you could let your mom call you Bobby. Mothers don't like their children growing up too fast. What do you say, soldier?"

Appealed to like that, Bob agreed with those terms. John looked at Peggy whose face was pinched with anger. At a nudging from Hank, she said shortly, "Okay. I guess I can live with that. But what are you going to do about your boys?"

John's face got thunderous, "Didn't you read Sam's file at school? If you had, you would have found that he suffers from night terrors and migraines. I know for a fact that there is a note in his file that says if he has a migraine bad enough where he needs to leave the classroom, you are to call either me or Dean so we can pick him up."

"Okay, I am sorry I did not read the file but what of Dean not stopping at the nurse's or the main office?" she asked in aplomb.

"Dean said that when he got to your classroom, his brother had his head in your wastebasket. If Dean saw that, his first, second and last instinct would be to get his brother to a cool, quiet, dark room. He wouldn't care about making stops that would keep his brother in pain longer than necessary. Dean would've called tomorrow and explained the situation at the same time calling Sam in sick. Sam usually is out for a couple of days when he has a migraine," John said a bit gruffly. He didn't like it when people didn't do their own homework. In his line of work, it would have been disastrous if he hadn't researched the situation thoroughly. Even after he was done with his research, he would still have Sam look into the hunt to make sure he hadn't missed something. Sam was excellent and would catch the smallest detail that John or even his Uncle Bobby may have missed.

Peggy still wasn't convinced, "Why were you not called and Dean was? That is highly irregular, Mr. Winchester."

John closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer for strength not to lose his temper. Jim and Bobby both warned him that it would only hurt the boys in the long run, "That's because of my job. Dean's perfectly capable of taking care of his brother when I'm not around. He's on Sam's file as an emergency contact because I want him there, he wants to be there and, most importantly, Sam wants him there."

Before Peggy could open her mouth again, Hank injected, "That is all well and good but maybe you could put an adult down instead. If one of your brothers is not around all the time and neither are you, I would be happy to volunteer."

Dean was the one to answer that. He had just come out of the bedroom after hearing voices and decided to investigate. He could see that John getting very upset so he came to the rescue before the voices got any louder and woke Sam up, "Not only did I check with Principal Moss about me being Sam's emergency contact but Dad had papers drawn up, legal papers, that says I am one of Sam's legal guardians since Dad's jobs take him out of town. Until I'm eighteen, the courts say that I need an adult in the house with us otherwise my uncles don't need to be here."

It was then that Hank put his foot in his mouth. "Don't you think that's a lot of responsibility for seventeen year old boy who could be playing football?" he asked John.

The look on John's face would have had a Wendigo running for the hills. Even his friends and family knew better than to question his parenting when it came to his boys. Especially since the guardianship for Sam had been a sixteenth birthday present for Dean, along with the Impala and his old leather jacket, three of John's most cherished things. Dean was the fourth and he was very much aware of his status with his dad. It was for Bob's sake that John reigned in his tongue.

"Dean has helped me raise Sam since he was four years old, right after my wife was killed. He had helped me to feed our baby, change him, give him baths and do all of the things my wife had done and he did it with love in his heart. I didn't force him into it, he just took over. He has every right to be Sam's guardian as he has been a father to Sam even more than I ever have been and I thank God that he wanted to do it. Nobody is ever going to take that from him, understand?" John's voice wasn't raised but it was deep and low, a predator's growl. Hank turned white. He knew that he had made a mistake so he just nodded his head. John turned his eyes towards Peggy who quickly joined her husband in agreement. Bob stood behind his parents with a gleam of glee in his eyes. As much as he loved his parents, they could be overbearing and it took a very special person to bring them down with such precision. Not even Cotton could do that.

Dean, on the other hand, had tears in his eyes. It hadn't been the first time that John had to defend the guardianship of Sam but this time, he had done it with such passion, it was beautiful.

_tbc_

_A/N-the information I got for the night terrors came from the internet. Sam's scratching of his scalp when he has a migraine is something that I do. It is a massaging effect and helps with the pain, at least for me it does. It may seem as though I had portrayed Sam as weak, he is not. It takes a very strong person to be able to live with everything that the Winchesters do but there is always a price to that strength. Sam's price is extreme nightmares and migraines due to stress of not knowing if his family lives or is dead because a hunt went wrong._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Ever since the confrontation at the Winchester home, the Hill adults kept their distance from the boys. Peggy had tried to keep her son and the other neighborhood children away from Sam and Dean but was told in no uncertain terms that they would keep going over to see the boys, no matter what she said. When she threatened Bob by saying that while he lived under her roof, he would do what she said, he just looked at her then went into his room and packed all his belongings. Bill had already told him there was a room at his house if things got too bad with his parents. As Bob walked towards the door, Peggy lost it and took everything back. She told him that he could do whatever he wanted as long as he lived there. Bob just nodded then went back to his room and unpacked. When Hank got home that night, Peggy all but dove into his arms, crying about how she lost her little boy. Hank went to Bob's room but when he looked at his son who was doing his homework, he backed out and went to get a beer for both Peggy and himself. For thirteen years, Hank had tried to get Bob to act like a grown man and, now that his son was, he found himself wondering where his little boy went to.

The Raney Street Hunters were now going on salt and burns as well as helping to deal with poltergeists. Dean would coordinate the Hunts while Sam researched them. John or one of the other adults went to supervise each Hunt just in case the Hunt went pear-shaped. Out the Hunts came some brilliant ideas. One was to put a ring of salted iron around the grave to protect the digger while the others stayed outside of it armed with shotguns loaded with salt. When the ghost appeared, they first would try to talk to it and get it to cross over peacefully. If it did, the grave would be sprinkled with Holy Water and prayers would be said over it but if the ghost chose not to, then they would dig up the grave to salt and burn the bones.

Only once was there any serious injury and that happened to Sam. It was on a poltergeist Hunt when the thing had picked Sam up and threw him into a mirror which had shattered. Sam ended up with a gash in his arm. Dean used that as an opportunity to teach the others how to stitch someone up, each teen took a turn to give Sam a couple of stitches before Dean took over the job and finished it. Because Bob had gotten some bruises during the Hunt, Dean taught the teens about vinegar. For some reason, the liquid had properties which, when applied to a bruise, would help in its healing. After that, Dean held many lessons in the first aid all Hunters needed to know about: setting broken bones, stitches, bruises, dislocated joints and checking for concussions. The teens learned when a Hunter needed medical help and when they didn't. Dean told them to be careful since any injury was suspicious to medical personnel who had to report any cases of suspected abuse to CPS which could get them taken away from their parents.

Since Bill and Khan were now listed at each teen's ICE contacts, they were given the full medical histories of everyone. To be even safer, Reverend Stroop and John Redcorn each had their own listing in the teens' new cell phones along with their copies of the medical histories. In deference to their families' feelings, Joseph and Bob kept their phones hidden. Since Khan was the one who paid for their minutes, none of the parents knew that their sons had one anyway. John agreed with all their preparations and it made them smile.

From ghosts and poltergeists, the kids went to ghouls and zombies. John and Dean both agreed that they needed to take it slowly so they had agreed to certain Hunts for the thirteen year olds even though their baby Hunted werewolves, shapeshifters, harpies and even Wendigos. Then John heard of a Hunt in Fort Worth. A couple of harpies were spotted snatching some of the homeless. Since John needed help, he had prepared Dean and Sam to go with him. Bob, Connie and Joseph wanted to go with them but they knew their parents, with the exception of Khan, wouldn't allow them to take a trip all the way to Fort Worth so they asked Khan to take them if the Winchesters allowed them to hunt the harpies. Khan talked to John who said that they would have to follow his instructions explicitly and the kids agreed so Khan talked to the other parents and told them that he was going to take Connie to the museum. He invited Joseph and Bob to go with them. The others agreed and gave the boys some money to spend. Hank even paid for a couple of rooms for the group.

The kids did very well with the only injuries happening to the adults. The harpies couldn't believe that a bunch of children were anything more than food until Bob and Sam destroyed their nest while the others held the harpies off from harming John and Dean. After the nest was gone, the four, led by Sam, stood over the unconscious older hunters and killed the monsters. Joseph and Connie treated the wounds that John and Dean sustained while Bob and Sam salted and burned the bodies. When they got back to the motel room, Khan had a feast waiting to celebrate the Raney Street kids' first major Hunt. As was usual, John went over the Hunt, making sure to praise everyone. Sam was still shocked every time he heard his father give out praises and said "Christo" under his breath. John just rolled his eyes while Khan worked on the journal he kept. Since Sam's research had been flawless, the Hunt only took the weekend with the kids being back in time for school in the morning.

They had been back from the harpy Hunt for a week when Bob found one close to home. Miz Liz Strickland was in a car accident and had sustained some broken bones but, when the mechanic took a look at her car, he found that the brake lines were cut. Of course, that meant that Buck was now under suspicion for trying to kill his wife until he admitted that he didn't know much about cars. He proved it by pointed to the radiator when asked to point out the carburetor. Since the investigating officer thought that the man was playing him, he was asked to identify the starter. Buck then pointed to the alternator which proved to the officer that the man didn't know anything about cars.

It didn't strike Bob as strange until Hank came home and talked about how strange things were happening at Strickland Propane. He said that it seemed as though the building was even colder than the A/C was set for. The box of flanges went missing and their computers all crashed. The IT person who was hired to clear out the viruses that Donna said they had didn't find anything wrong with them except that all the connections were fried. Hank suspected one of Buck's ex-mistresses since Buck's office had been trashed.

Then Hank's truck was trashed, having been spray-painted with the words: man-slut, fucker, and betrayer. Hank was alternately livid and nervous that his neighbors would see the words and believe them. When Bob heard about the words, he started to check things out. He found that Sugarfoots had also suffered some vandalism recently. There had been a fire in the dumpster behind the restaurant as well as broken windows, busted furniture and spoiled food. Something tickled the back of Bob's mind but it wasn't until he heard about the apartment fire across the street from Sugarfoots that he started to put it together, especially since the person who lived in the apartment, a man named Gale, had been badly burned.

Bob knew that he needed to bring his suspicions to the brothers and his friends. Caleb was there since John had another job he needed to go to. Sitting down with the three of them Bob started, "Before you guys moved here, there was a scandal caused by the death of a woman named Debbie Grunde. She and Buck Strickland had had an affair that lasted for a couple of years. When Buck's wife finally found out about it, she threatened to divorce him and took most of his stuff from him, including Strickland Propane. Buck hid some of his assets by giving them to his employees, one of which was Sugarfoots. Mom took over management of the restaurant while Dad was being chased by Miz Liz, as everyone called her. Dad couldn't stand it anymore and concocted a plan to get the Stricklands back together but it meant that Debbie was out in the cold. She didn't like it and tried to blackmail Dad into having sex with her but you know how Dad is about sex or any mention of sex." The three seasoned hunters nodded. They had seen Hank turn red when Caleb and Dean joked in loud voices about how Sam was never going to get laid until he got over his shyness. "Debbie got real mad. On the night the Stricklands reconciled, she hid in a dumpster with a loaded shotgun. After a while, she had gotten hungry and went to the Get In Get Out for a couple of snacks. After paying for her stuff, she went back to the dumpster but when she tried to get back in, she couldn't because her hands were full. Finally, she started to climb back in but she slipped and the loaded shotgun, which was still in her hands, went off and killed her. Dad was accused of her murder until a Texas Ranger proved that her death was accidental.

"Now, there has been a string of incidents that leads me to believe that Debbie is back and out for vengeance. Miz Liz's car was tampered with which caused her to have an accident that landed her in the hospital. Dad's truck was vandalized as was the restaurant and the Strickland Propane office where Debbie had once worked. But the thing that clinched it for me was that her old apartment had a fire which caused her old roommate to sustain burns on fifty percent of his body," Bob was precise when he laid out his information.

Dean, Caleb and Sam looked at each other in silent communication. Bob had seen this before when seasoned Hunters got together but especially between the brothers. He knew that it was a true mark of a family who was in constant danger and depended on each other to stay alive. He and the other younger Hunters were starting to do that also but it would take years to get to where the Winchester family was. Finally, after a minute, Sam got up and retrieved his laptop out of his room. Silently, he began to search the web on information as to where Debbie Grunde had been buried. Dean started to load salt in shotgun shells while Caleb took stock of the rock salt on hand. Bob found the iron rods they used to help protect people from the vengeful ghosts and put them on the table. Each young man had a job to do and they did it without speaking.

"Do you think we need more Hunters?" Bob asked his friends.

"Naw, sounds like a vengeful ghost. Bitch will hit hard if she gets a chance to so we'll need to have the first aid kit ready," Dean said with conviction.

"How will we protect those involved?" Bob wondered.

Caleb answered without looking back, "You will need to get them in one area. The only one who can't be there is the one in the hospital, Miz Liz, so you will need to have someone visit her to put down salt lines. We'll need three of you to guard the others while me and Dean do the salt and burn."

Sam shuddered at that. Dean saw his brother's movement and went over to him, "Sammy, we'll be okay, I promise you. Don't worry, baby brother." Sam smiled weakly at his brother. He knew that Dean was capable of doing a salt and burn without him but he never stopped worrying about him. Dean knew this and decided that Sam would need to take an antidepressant for the next few days. He also knew that Sam would need him to stay close for a while. It didn't mean his brother was weak, it just meant that Sam needed the reassurance he wasn't going to be alone, that his brother and father hadn't died. Dean knew how Sam felt since he too had those same fears but he had been able to work through them with Hunting from a very early age and taking care of his brother. Sam didn't have the same kind of distractions that Dean had and worried every time his brother and father stepped out of the house without him.

Sam shook himself and got back on the job, something he had taught himself to do otherwise the fear would paralyze him. "Um, I found out that Debbie Grunde had been buried in the Arlen Cemetery, in the newest part. Hey, guys? Don't forget to take the salted iron circles, okay?"

The three voices startled him when they answered in unison, "Yes, sir!" Sam blushed deep red. He didn't know what to do with the compliment his friends had just paid him.

Dean saw his baby's discomfort and decided that it was the perfect thing to keep Sam's mind off of their temporary separation. He stood up and went into the military attention pose, "Sir, how do we keep the ghost from hurting the civilians?" Sam's blush deepened and Dean grinned. Even though Sam was embarrassed, it was also very good for his ego. Even though John had been better lately about giving Sam encouragement and kudos, it still had a very long way to go to wipe out years of put downs and the immortal words of "Why can't you be more like Dean?"

Sam knew what his brother was doing even though it made him blush. It was the first time he had been asked to lead a Hunt with a group and he worried that someone would get hurt if he didn't plan it out carefully. Thinking for a bit, he came up with a plan. "Here's what needs to be done. Bob, can you get your parents to visit Miz Liz?"

"Sure. Dad is always looking for a way to ingratiate himself with Buck Strickland. He'll jump at the idea that visiting Liz Strickland would get him in Buck's good graces," Bob smiled at Connie for helping him expand his vocabulary. Before the Winchesters came, he would have used a phrase like "kiss butt" instead of ingratiate when describing Hank's behavior around Buck.

"Great! You will need to get her out of her room, maybe suggest that she take a walk with you and your parents to get out of her room. Connie, when Bob gets his family and Miz Liz out of the room, you and Joseph go into the room and put down some of the salt poles on the window and door frames." Both of the teens nodded their agreement. Sam came to the crux of the challenge: how to get everyone else to one place before the others went to salt and burn Debbie Grunde's bones. He thought for a few more minutes, running scenarios through his head. Dean watched as his brother planned. This was something he knew about his brother that his father seemed not to see: that Sam would meticulously plan a Hunt so no one would get hurt, something Dean appreciated when John had him lead. More often, more than Dean wanted to admit, but Sam's planning had led to him and his father still being alive. He knew when Sam finally finished running all scenarios through his head since it seemed like he lit up like a light bulb. Dean knew the minute that Sam came up with a plan. His brother's face seemed to light up and his eyes glowed.

"How about getting everyone over to JR's place for a picnic or something? That would give Dean and Caleb a chance to disappear from the area to salt and burn her bones while the others will be safe. JR's place is safe. He's protected it with salt and iron lines not to mention he lives on sacred ground. What do you think?" Sam asked nervously. In the past, Dean was the only one who he had bounced ideas off of since their father believed that he knew the best in every situation but, when the boys Hunted alone or with Caleb, Sam would be the one who did the research and made the plan. Dean made sure all their equipment and first aid kits were ready for anything. Together, they were unbeatable. Now, he was doing not just the planning but he was also giving orders, something he wasn't used to. It was something his dad and Dean had done during hunts.

Sam was nearly bowled over by the smiles and nods of agreements to his plans. Now he just prayed that nobody, especially Dean, got hurt.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

The first part of the plan worked wonderfully. Bob easily convinced his parents to visit Miz Liz, easy since his father always jumped at the chance to ingratiate himself with Mr. Strickland but only up to the point where the demands or favors ran opposite of Hank's built-in ideals and values. Bringing flowers were Hank's idea since he knew which kind Miz Liz loved, having picked them up for Buck on Valentine's Day, their anniversary and her birthday. Getting the woman out of her room was another thing that was very easy to do since Miz Liz was quite tired of staring at the walls in her "cell" as she would say, loudly and to whomever was in earshot.

Connie and Joseph waited a couple of minutes before going into the room. Nurses had went in and straightened up the bed and picked up after the woman then left. The two teens were finally able to enter to put down their protections. Bob told them that they would probably have around fifteen minutes before Miz Liz would want to go back to her room. They got the job done in five. Rechecking over all the wards, they cleaned up and left. Bob silently laughed to himself as he and his parents escorted Miz Liz back to her room…fifteen minutes after they had left it. Looking around the room, he reassured himself that his friends had been able to finish the job in the time allotted. Even though they had been rushed, Connie and Joseph were perfection itself. When the visit was done, Bob felt good about leaving the clueless woman alone. She was protected against Debbie Grunde's ghost. Now it was time for the second part.

Dean had called John Redcorn and explained the situation. JR quickly agreed to the plan Sam had come up with and called Bill, Khan and Reverend Stroop so he could get some help in organizing the picnic. Reverend Stroop, since this involved a Hunt, bought all the food for the picnic using some of the funds left in Mr. McGregor's will. Bill and JR walked the property and reinforced all of the sigils and salt lines so the partyers would be protected to the best of their abilities while Sam and Bob stashed a few of their shotguns and shells filled with salt in strategic points along the salt lines. Khan walked along the iron lines, repairing them so the ghost and other nasties couldn't hurt JR's guests, especially Buck Strickland.

The party started without a hitch. By the time the guests had arrived at the impromptu picnic (Hank had made a fuss about going somewhere without proper notice but since he was informed that it was actually to help Buck out of his funk, Hank was for it), JR had his tables ready and the grill warming up. Since Hank turned his nose up on anything that had been grilled over coals, JR had to borrow a propane grill for the occasion. He really didn't have to worry too much about the food since Peggy, Min and Nancy insisted on taking care of the sides.

Peggy, of course, decided to make her Apple Brown Peggy. She was unaware that Dean didn't like it saying that it was a bastardized attempt at Apple pie. Sam kept his mouth shut and let his brother rant while making sure Dean wasn't impolite to their neighbor. To appease Dean's indignation at the lack of a "good" dessert, Reverend Stroop baked three pies and brought them to the party, to Peggy's ire. Wasn't it wonderful that Reverend Stroop's job kept Peggy from being nasty? It would have been if Peggy didn't have a huge ego. When she saw the size of Peggy's eyes and the frown that was beginning, Reverend Stroop knew that she was in for a miserable afternoon with verbal barbs being thrown at her. Then she saw Dean's face and how it brightened with happiness and she knew that the torment would be worth it. Since he had to go on the Hunt, the good Reverend made a point of putting one of the pies aside just for him. Caleb, she figured, would have to steal from Dean and she wished the older Hunter good luck.

The party was in full swing when night fell and the two designated Hunters left for the cemetery. Before he left, Dean made sure to find Sam and give him a hug. He knew that it would help Sam's anxiety if he didn't just sneak away. Last time he did that, Sam's nightmares didn't stop for a week and the silent treatment went on for two.

"Remember the rules, baby brother and keep everyone safe, yourself included," Dean whispered in his baby's ear.

"Come back safe and sound," Sam whispered back. His eyes were worried. Dean smiled and left the protected area.

It really didn't take long for Debbie's ghost to show up…at the picnic. When he thought about it later, it really made sense to Sam that the ghost would want the maximum effect since his research showed that she had the ego the size of Alaska and she was the personification of a woman scorned, like a Woman in White. The first sign of her being there was a sudden drop in temperature. Sam vaguely heard Peggy complain of the weather change and Nancy disparaging Channel 84's meteorologist for the inaccurate prediction for that evening. Sam caught the eye of Connie who nodded. She knew what caused the cold even if some of the adults did not. She didn't waste any time but went to find Joseph and Bob. Sam discreetly followed Buck around while the others made sure that Peggy and Hank were safe as possible.

Everything went okay until Buck got real cold and went to his car for his jacket. Later, Sam would deduce that Debbie had made Buck feel very cold to get him out of the protected area but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty that the man almost got killed. It only took one foot out of the iron circle and Debbie materialized so she could grab him. Sam ran towards the man, yelling for the Raney Street kids to get their shotguns, his own weapon already in his hand. Debbie threw Buck on his car and advanced with a scowl on her face.

"You did this to me," she accused. "Nobody dumps Debbie Grunde and lives!" He screamed as she reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.

"Get away from him you bleach blonde bitch!" Sam yelled as he shot his gun. She screeched and disappeared. Bob and Joseph ran to get Buck while Connie stood by Sam with her own weapon, ready to shoot at the ghost.

The rescuers were almost to the circle when Debbie appeared in front of them. Sam saw what was going on and he used what Bob had told him about her. "You were a loser in life and you will be a loser in death! Couldn't even get your own man, had to steal someone else's!" he yelled. She snarled and turned towards him. Connie stepped in front of Sam to shoot the ghost when her aim was clear of the living. Bob and Joseph, who saw what Connie wanted to do, carefully but quickly put Buck down and hit the deck. The powerful boom of the shotgun told the two boys that the coast was clear and they picked Buck up again. The man was very heavy, even with their new muscles the boys needed help. They were very grateful when Bill and JR came running and helped them to get Buck into the safe zone.

Reverend Stroop and Khan ran to the group to start CPR since Buck wasn't breathing. They knew from Hank that the man had a bad heart, having gone through many bypasses already. While they worked on him, the Reverend yelled, "Hank, get on that damned phone and call 911 or we'll lose him! Move it mister!" Hank was shocked by the language his normally peaceful pastor used but when his eyes landed on his boss, he took off running towards JR's trailer.

Peggy, on the other hand, stood there in shock as she couldn't process what she was seeing. Her whole belief system was blown out of the water with the appearance of the ghost. It took another blow when the kids ran to Buck's assistance with no thought to their own safety. She didn't believe in ghosts or anything else supernatural, believing the stories to be products of people's fertile imaginations but now, her comfortable world was blown completely out of the water. She would never again be able to stick her head in the sand.

Min, Nancy and Dale stood with their own mouths open at the scene. Dale was proud of his son becoming a man but this was too much for his brain to process. It wasn't aliens or even the government that was causing this catastrophe but a supernatural being and that information short-circuited his brain. Nancy, on the other hand, started to think back on some of the strange things she had witnessed as a news woman. The strange weather patterns that would sometimes pop up unexpectedly, the deaths that were considered "unsolvable", and even the cases where nice people became killers with no memories of having done so. In that moment, a new Hunter/Researcher was born.

Min, on the other hand, was horrified that her daughter was out there with a ghost that was intent on causing harm. Contrary to what everyone believed, she knew about the supernatural, especially after her father had almost been killed by a Bhuta. He had been saved by an exorcist that lived in the area where the Bhuta was created and she had been hunting that particular being. Her baby an exorcist? Never! Connie was going to go to Stanford, after all. She was going to be a doctor! Min was determined that she was going to stop Connie from Hunting the supernatural. After all, it was too dangerous for her baby to do.

A few minutes more of the kids fighting the ghost then Debbie went up in a ball of red flames, screaming as she went. It was three more minutes before the ambulance came and picked Buck up. Fifteen more minutes passed before Dean and Caleb drove up, happy with their success and the ease of the salt and burn. The rest of the evening was mixed with the Hills, Gribbles and Min silent while the others celebrated the successful Hunt.

KOTHSPNKOTHSPN

A month passed since the salt and burn of Debbie Grunde's bones and John felt that it was time he and his boys moved on. Sam felt keenly that they should stay to finish training the Raney Street Hunters but John was adamant, time to go. The older Hunter could see Sam's position but they were needed elsewhere. He made arrangements with Lao Ma and Reverend Stroop to continue the training. Lao Ma had contacted some of her friends and family to help out so that helped to put Sam's mind at ease.

Before they left, Connie told Sam that her mother and father had a huge fight about her Hunting. Khan finally put his foot down and told Min that _his_ daughter was carrying on a family tradition and it was up to _his _daughter to decide what her future would be. Joseph told the Winchesters that his mother would be training to be a Researcher for the Hunters. Her position at the news station would help out in keeping an eye out for any possible supernatural activity.

Bob's story was a bit more tragic. Neither of his parents wanted him to Hunt and was actively trying to stop him. He didn't know how much longer he would be living with them, he said. Sam gave him a hug and a list of phone numbers along with his private cell number. Bob was to call whenever he needed to talk. Bob told Sam that he should call himself whenever he needed to talk also.

Reverend Stroop, Bill, and John Redcorn all gave the Winchesters some money to help defray costs and supplies to help them out on the road with strict instructions to not be strangers. There was not a dry eye in the group as the Winchesters left Arlen. They had come as strangers but left as family and their influence was life-changing.

Three Months Later-

Bob stood next to the open casket of his grandfather and wept. Even though Cotton was terrible to his father and mother, he still loved the man and missed him terribly. DeeDee told the Hills that she was taking GH and moving to Dallas after the funeral. He was lucky in that Cotton's will stated he wanted to be cremated so his ashes could be flushed in a toilet that had been used by General Patton.

"I miss you, Dinkdink," Bob whispered, using the nickname he had given Cotton. "I wish we could have talked about what I've been doing but there was just no time. You would be so proud of me, what I'm doing. It's saving people and fighting the good fight." He brought up a bag of salt and started to layer Cotton's body with it. "I'm sorry to be doing this but you have all the earmarks of becoming a vengeful ghost and I can't have you going after my Dad or Mom. I hope you understand." He kept pouring the salt until only the face was not covered. He then bent over the coffin side and gave his grandfather a final kiss then finished putting the salt down. After he was done, Bob said, "Goodbye Grandpa." He closed the lid and picked up the salt bags.

Stepping away from the casket, he gave his grandfather a salute then turned to leave. When he got to the door, Bill asked him, "Everything okay?" Bob nodded and tears ran down his face. "Let's go home son." With that they left the mortuary. The next morning Cotton would be cremated and there would be no coming back for him.

_tbc_

_A/N-the epilogue will be up next. _


End file.
